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RTÉ News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
All you need to know about Eurovision voting patterns
Analysis: there are many parallels between Eurovision voting and regular election campaigns Both of us love the Eurovision contest but, as members of the Electoral Geography Group (EGG) at Maynooth University (along with Dr. William Durkan), we are also interested in the contest for the similarities that exist between this and "regular" election campaigns. National selection processes, where the different Eurovision countries select their acts and songs for that year's contest, often mirror the candidate selection contests of political parties. Both are sometimes prone to controversy and results are shaped by rules imposed for the selection process. Just like election candidates, selected acts often use the period before the contest to "campaign", or promote their entries, usually being strategic in terms of which countries they focus on. However, the most obvious parallels relate to Eurovision voting patterns. Some countries tend to award high numbers of points to the same countries on a regular basis. This was already a characteristic of the jury-voting era, which lasted until 1997, but a tendency towards "bloc voting" seems to have ramped up further with the introduction of televoting in the late 1990s. This prompted accusations of political voting in the 2000s and claims that different countries – particularly "new" Eurovision countries, such as Russia, Serbia and Turkey – had an unfair advantage due to "friends and neighbours" or "diaspora" voting. This brought about a re-introduction of juries in 2009. Another significant factor which can shape relative success levels is the position a song receives in the semi-final/final running order. Certain positions are generally less favourable than others – most notably, the number two position in the Final running order – while later positions in the running order tend to be more favourable. Language is another factor to consider. Statistics suggest that songs performed in English have a better chance of success than those performed in other languages. Following the abolition of the native language rule in 1999, increasing numbers of countries opted to use English for their entries, with this trend peaking at the 2016 contest in which only three of the entries in a language other than English (including a French-language entry from Austria). However, the success of Portugal's Salvador Sobral with "Amar pelos dois" in 2017 lead to an increase in the number of entries performed in non-English languages sent to subsequent contests. While French chansons dominated the contest in the 1950s and 1960s, a song in the French language has not won Eurovision since Celine Dion won for Switzerland with "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" in Dublin in 1988. However, two French-language entries figure among the strong favourites in 2021 – Barbara Pravi's "Voila" (France) and Gjon Tear's "Tout l'Univers" (Switzerland) – as well as the Italian language "Zitti E Buoni" from Italy's Måneskin. Irrespective of the advantages that certain countries may attain due to "bloc voting" or language, recent results show it is still possible for any country to win Eurovision. In 2019, the Netherlands – a country that failed to qualify for the final eight times in a row between 2005 and 2012 – achieved their first win in the contest since 1975, while North Macedonia – a country that had never finished in the Top 10 in a Final up to that point– won the jury vote. This year sees an unusually large number of countries, who have never won Eurovision before, figuring among the contest favourites, including Bulgaria, Iceland, Malta, Lithuania and Cyprus. Returning to our discussion of the voting trends, simplistic views of televoting trends during the 2000s largely viewed these as being political. While it is fair to note that certain countries still tend to award high numbers of televote points to the same countries every year, these trends probably reflect factors such as shared music markets and cultural commonalities, rather than politics. In fact, it could be argued that the "real political voting" occurs with the juries, more so that the public vote, a discussion for a future Brainstormarticle! Looking at some examples of Eurovision voting patterns, Ukraine tends to win, on average, very high numbers of televote points from other former Soviet states, as well as their neighbours Poland. Other countries may also take advantage of a large diaspora vote, as is the case with Lithuania. While Lithuania is also a former Soviet state, it does not enjoy the same level of success as Ukraine and Russia in terms of winning points from other former Soviet states (with the exceptions of neighbours Latvia, and Georgia). However, the large Lithuanian diaspora in countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland often ensures a significant number of televote points for the Lithuanian act from those countries. While Irish success levels at Eurovision dipped notably during the 2000s, Ireland too relies strongly on "friends and neighbours" voting when it comes to winning televote points at Eurovision. Since the introduction of televoting, the United Kingdom has been the most generous country by far for Irish Eurovision acts. While there is a distinct geography to Ireland's televote pattern, this is not wholly related to geographical proximity. Ireland fares well in winning points from the "Viking Bloc" states in north-western Europe (especially Denmark), but has struggled to win televote points from France during this same period. In fact, during the last two decades Ireland has tended to be more likely to win televote points from the Baltic States than they are to win points from some western European countries, including Italy and France. Since 2016, each country returns a separate set of televote and jury vote points. This allows for some interesting contrasts between jury vote and televote trends. For some of the countries who finished in the Top 10 at the 2019 Final, there appears to be a significant disagreement in the ranking of these entries between both of the "judging panels". Norway's KEiiNO won the televote by a comfortable margin, but ultimately only finished in sixth place overall due to a much lower ranking from the professional juries. Similarly, acts from Iceland and Russia fared notably stronger with the televoters than they did with the juries. By contrast, North Macedonia's Tamara Todevska won the jury vote, but only finished in seventh place overall, after finishing twelfth in the televote. As in previous contests, Sweden also fared notably stronger with jury voters.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Eurovision contestants call for Israel and broadcaster KAN to be banned
Israel's presence at Eurovision was already a contentious issue last year considering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Now, an open letter addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has been co-signed by 72 musicians and performers associated with the contest. They appeal to organisers to ban Israel and its national broadcaster from the contest over the country's 'genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' Among those to have signed the letter include former winners like Charlie McGettigan, Salvador Sobral and Fernando Tordo, as well as British singer Mae Muller, French singer La Zarra, former Turkish representative Hadise Açıkgöz and last year's competitors Ásdís María and GÅTE, both of whom took part in what the letter describes as 'the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition's history'. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a protest against the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Golan - 2024 - AP Photo Indeed, Eurovision 2024 was plagued by controversy due to Israel's participation in the contest amid its ongoing attacks on Gaza. Some critics accused the EBU of hypocrisy for refusing to remove Israel from the competition, having previously ejected Russia in 2022 following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Israel was ultimately allowed to compete last year, despite threatening to withdraw after the country's contestant was asked to amend her song 'October Rain' due to its perceived lyrical references to the 7 October attacks. KAN also received heavy criticism last year for its delegation's alleged treatment of contestants – specifically Irish contestant Bambie Thug, who accused the network of 'inciting violence' against her. This year's letter reads: '[We] urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. KAN is complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' 'By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,' the letter continues. 'The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don't accept this double standard regarding Israel.' 'As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.' You can read the letter in full on Artists For Palestine UK's website here. People hold a placard at a demonstration outside City Hall against Israel's participation in the Eurovision song contest, in Malmö, Sweden - 10 April 2024 - AP Photo More than 56,000 people had signed a similar petition calling for Israel's ban from that year, while elsewhere, Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists and 1,400 industry professionals across Europe also called for Israel's Eurovision entry to be suspended. EBU has previously stated: 'The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year. We are not immune to global events but, together, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.' The Eurovision final takes place this year in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May. Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael is set to perform the track 'New Day Will Rise'.
Middle East Eye
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
More than 70 ex-Eurovision participants call for Israeli broadcaster to be removed
More than 70 previous participants of Eurovision have called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel's Kan public broadcaster from the song contest. The participants, who include contestants, songwriters and lyricists, accused Israel's Kan broadcaster of being complicit in Israeli genocide against Palestinians. 'Kan is complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people,' the participants wrote in a joint letter. 'We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity.' The signatories include two former winners of Eurovision: Portugal's Salvador Sobral and Ireland's Charlie McGettigan. British former contestants Mae Muller and Bianca Nicholas also signed the statement. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The 2025 Eurovision final is set to take place this year on 17 May in Basel, Switzerland. The public broadcasters of Iceland, Slovenia and Spain have expressed concern over Israel's participation. It echoes a similar outcry on Israel's participation in the 2024 contest. Radiohead plays concert in Tel Aviv, snubs Palestinian boycott calls Read More » Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Swedish host city Malmo last year to call for the country's exclusion. Many critics pointed out that Russia had been excluded over the war in Ukraine but that Israel had faced no similar penalty. '[It] can't be one rule for Russia and a completely different rule for Israel. You bomb, you're out,' said Thea Garrett, who represented Malta in 2010. Despite the exclusion of Russia, the EBU has repeatedly stressed that Eurovision should be a non-political event and has pushed back at requests to exclude Israel. The participants said in the joint letter that the EBU had granted 'total impunity' to Israel's delegation last year while repressing others, 'making the 2024 edition the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition's history'. Israel's 2024 participant Eden Golan's had initially attempted to enter the competition with the song "October Rain", but it was rejected by Eurovision organisers who took issue with apparent reference to the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. The rebranded song "Hurricane" was met with audible boos from live audiences in Malmo, and shouts of "Free Palestine". McGettigan, who won the competition in 1994, said: 'I believe that the Israeli government has been and is inflicting genocide on the people of Palestine and for that reason Israel should be barred from competing in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.'
Euronews
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Former Eurovision contestants call for Israel and broadcaster KAN to be banned
ADVERTISEMENT Israel's presence at Eurovision was already a contentious issue last year considering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Now, an open letter addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has been co-signed by 72 musicians and performers associated with the contest. They appeal to organisers to ban Israel and its national broadcaster from the contest over the country's 'genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' Among those to have signed the letter include former winners like Charlie McGettigan, Salvador Sobral and Fernando Tordo, as well as British singer Mae Muller, French singer La Zarra, former Turkish representative Hadise Açıkgöz and last year's competitors Ásdís María and GÅTE, both of whom took part in what the letter describes as 'the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition's history'. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a protest against the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Golan - 2024 AP Photo Indeed, Eurovision 2024 was plagued by controversy due to Israel's participation in the contest amid its ongoing attacks on Gaza. Some critics accused the EBU of hypocrisy for refusing to remove Israel from the competition, having previously ejected Russia in 2022 following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Israel was ultimately allowed to compete last year, despite threatening to withdraw after the country's contestant was asked to amend her song 'October Rain' due to its perceived lyrical references to the 7 October attacks . KAN also received heavy criticism last year for its delegation's alleged treatment of contestants – specifically Irish contestant Bambie Thug , who accused the network of 'inciting violence' against her . This year's letter reads: '[We] urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. KAN is complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' 'By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,' the letter continues. 'The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don't accept this double standard regarding Israel.' 'As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.' You can read the letter in full on Artists For Palestine UK 's website here . People hold a placard at a demonstration outside City Hall against Israel's participation in the Eurovision song contest, in Malmö, Sweden - 10 April 2024 AP Photo More than 56,000 people had signed a similar petition calling for Israel's ban from that year, while elsewhere, Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists and 1,400 industry professionals across Europe also called for Israel's Eurovision entry to be suspended . EBU has previously stated: 'The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year. We are not immune to global events but, together, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.' The Eurovision final takes place this year in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May. Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael is set to perform the track 'New Day Will Rise'.
The Irish Sun
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Which countries are not competing in Eurovision 2025?
EUROVISION is one of the most exciting events in music, as nations compete in an all-singing-all-dancing competition. However, due to world events, some countries are unable to compete at Advertisement 5 Nemo won the 2024 competition, meaning Switzerland will host the 2025 singing competition Credit: Reuters 5 The UK hosted Eurovision in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine Credit: AP: Associated Press Andorra Andorra has not competed in The country has chosen not to take part because of its public finances being overstretched. However, the government has hinted that they will return to the competition when they have balanced the books. Belarus Advertisement Read More on Eurovision The song was described as celebrating 'political oppression and slavery". Belarus has tried several times, unsuccessfully, to overturn the verdict. Bosnia and Herzegovina Despite appearing in the competition 19 times, Bosnia and Herzegovina stopped competing at Eurovision in 2016. The country cited monetary problems as their reason for withdrawing from Eurovision. Advertisement Most read in News TV This means they won't be Oct 7 survivor to sing at Eurovision after hiding under bodies in massacre Bulgaria Bulgaria will miss Eurovision for the third year in a row in 2025. The country announced it will be sitting out this year due to financial difficulties. Bulgaria has been known to perform well at Eurovision, nearly clinching the top spot with Advertisement However, Kristian was beaten by Salvador Sobral who represented Portugal. Hungary Hungary has appeared at Eurovision 19 times, but has pulled out several times in the competition's history. The country peaked at fourth place at Eurovision in 1994, but regularly makes the top 10 when they take part. It pulled out of the competition in 2020 due to funding issues. Advertisement Monaco Monaco has entered Eurovision 23 times and even won the competition in 1971. However, due to funding issues and the demise of state broadcaster TMC, It will not be taking part in 2025. 5 Russia's invasion of Ukraine disqualified them from the competition Credit: Alamy Advertisement Montenegro Montenegro first appeared at Eurovision in 2007. However, it pulled out of the competition in 2022 after a lack of interest from sponsors. The state broadcaster announced: "Besides the significant costs of the registration fee, as well as the cost of the stay in the United Kingdom, we faced a lack of interest from sponsors. "With that being said, we decided to direct existing resources to the financing of current and planned national projects, and organizational and program reforms." Advertisement Morocco Middle Eastern and North African countries who are members of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) are eligible to take part in Eurovision. However, Morocco has not appeared at the competition since 1980 in protest against Israel's participation at Eurovision. Israel missed the competition in 1980, which prompted Morocco to enter. Advertisement North Macedonia The country confirmed that it exited the competition due to financial constraints. 2025 will be its third consecutive year of not taking part at Eurovision. Romania Romania has confirmed that it won't be taking part in the 2025 competition. Advertisement The country pulled out of Eurovision in 2024. However, the national broadcaster has yet to confirm why they exited the competition. Russia Russia has been Ukraine swept to a stunning win that year at the competition, receiving a massive amount of public and jury votes. Advertisement Due to Russia has since announced its 5 Eurovision 2025 will be held in the Swiss city of Basel Credit: AFP Slovakia Advertisement Debuting in 1994, the country had enjoyed a lot of success at the competition. However, financial pressures forced them to sit out future iterations of Eurovision. Turkey Although they have not formally declared why they pulled out the competition, they have suggested that rule changes in 2013 prompted their exit. Advertisement As a result, they will not be returning in 2025. Which countries have never competed at Eurovision? Liechtenstein, Kosovo, the Faroe Islands and Greenland and even Often this can be due to a lack of interest from sponsors or from having a smaller population. However, each country is eligible meaning they can absolutely take part if they choose to. Advertisement Is Israel competing in Eurovision 2024? Israel has been confirmed to be taking part in the 2025 edition of Eurovision, despite being criticised for taking part just a year earlier. The 2024 competitor from Israel, 5 Yuval Raphael will be representing Israel at Eurovision Credit: Reuters Eurovision's organisers felt the song breached the competition's commitment to neutrality, meaning Eden took to the stage with a song entitled Hurricane. Advertisement The country will be represented by Yuval Raphael at the 2025 competition and she will be performing a song entitled New Day Will Rise. The incident sparked a fierce conflict which has led critics to say that Israel should be disqualified. Artists from across the political spectrum have weighed in on Israel's participation in the competition, with some musicians from Advertisement However, in 2024, an open letter calling for support in allowing Israel's participation in the contest, was signed by stars including
