A group of MEPs have expressed concern about possible interference in the results of the audience vote at the contest, which was held in Switzerland two weeks ago.
According to according to Euronews, thirteen European lawmakers have sent an official letter to the European Broadcasting Union (the Eurovision organizer) demanding that full details of the audience vote be published. “The European public deserves full transparency about what concerns this year’s voting process, the extent of state-sponsored advertising and any undeclared sponsorship contracts,” said Slovenian MP Matjaž Nemec.
The MPs’ letter notes that both members of the public and several national broadcasters have already expressed alarm at the use of state advertising infrastructure in support of the participating singer from Israel. The country’s representative came in second place this year. The lawmakers are asking for full disclosure of the advertising and possible sponsorship contracts.
MEPs are also alarmed by the fact that on the eve of the contest, Eurovision executive director Martin Green admitted in an interview for Euronews that politics inevitably creeps into the event.
This year’s winner of the international Eurovision Song Contest was singer JJ, representing Austria, with the song Wasted Love. The contest has been held since 1956, and in that time Austria has won the contest for the third time.
Moldova did not participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
