Eurovision jury vote scandal ends with resignation
The scandal over Moldova’s national jury vote at Eurovision has reached its climax with the resignation of Teleradio Moldova director general Vlad Țurcanu.
At today’s press conference, Țurcanu said the jury had failed to understand “the sensitivity of Moldova’s relations with Ukraine and Romania”.
In theory, a jury evaluating a music contest should judge the performers, the song and the staging. Eurovision is already often criticised for being too political. Yet in Moldova, an allegedly independent music jury has now become a political problem because it did not show enough geopolitical awareness.
The jury failed to give the expected level of support to the Romanian contestant’s harsh and aggressive song, which critics said carried clear BDSM references and the ambiguous title “Choke Me”. It also did not sufficiently back what many considered a weak Ukrainian entry.
In the end, responsibility fell not on the jury, but on the head of the public broadcaster.
Politics reaches even Eurovision
One might say this is only Eurovision. But the precedent looks more serious than the contest itself.
If officials are now punished because a jury did not vote for the “right” countries, what happens when voters refuse to support the “right” candidates in elections? Will someone also have to resign for that?
Along with Țurcanu, the heads of Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova are also expected to leave their posts automatically.
Few critics will mourn them. One set of loyal broadcasters will most likely be replaced by another. But the message is clear: even music votes are now expected to follow the political line.
