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Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have announced plans to change the popular music festival’s voting system to ensure fairness, a move that follows allegations of “interference” by Israel’s government.
European Broadcasting UnionThe Geneva-based association of public broadcasters that runs the program said Friday the changes were “designed to strengthen trust, transparency and audience engagement.”
Israel has competed in Eurovision for over 50 years and won four times. But calls to oust Israel have grown over the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.
accuse of Israel Government intervention has added a new twist to the debate.
In September, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS said it could no longer justify Israel’s participation in the contest, citing humanitarian suffering in the Gaza war. Many other countries also adopted a similar stance.
The Dutch broadcaster further stated that “during the last edition of the song contest interference by the Israeli government was proven, with the program being used as a political tool.” The statement did not elaborate.
The same month, Golan Yochapaz, CEO of Israeli public broadcaster Kan, said that “There is no reason why we should not remain an important part of this cultural program, which should not become political.”
Kahn then also said that he was “confident” that the EBU would “continue to maintain the apolitical, professional and cultural character of the contest, especially on the eve of Eurovision’s 70th anniversary next year”.
The EBU said that as part of the new Eurovision measures, the number of votes per payment method will be halved to 10 in the contest to be held in Vienna next May.
Additionally, “professional juries” will return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2022 – a move that will give approximately 50-50 per cent weighting between audience and jury votes, it said.
Organizers will also step up security measures to thwart “suspicious or coordinated voting activity” and strengthen security systems that “monitor, detect and prevent fraudulent patterns,” the EBU said.
competition director martin green Stating that the neutrality and integrity of the competition is of “paramount importance” to the EBU, its members and spectators, he added that the event “must remain a neutral venue and should not be instrumentalised.”
The EBU’s General Assembly on 4-5 December is set to consider whether Israel can participate next year. A vote on that participation would take place only if member broadcasters decide the new measures “do not go far enough,” Green said.