Newsroom
Israel’s first-place finish in the public vote at last weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest has sparked growing calls from several countries for greater transparency and a review of the voting system.
Israeli singer Yuval Raphael topped the viewer vote with her ballad New Day Will Rise but placed second overall behind Austria due to the combined effect of jury scores. Israel was ranked joint 14th by national juries but surged in the final tally thanks to strong public support.
Broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Iceland, and Finland have since raised concerns about the integrity of the televote, with some requesting a formal audit from the contest’s organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Irish network RTÉ and Spain’s RTVE were among those demanding a full breakdown of the voting results and a review of the current system, which allows viewers to vote up to 20 times via phone, text, or app. Critics, including Flemish MP Katia Segers, warned the system "encourages manipulation."
While Belgian broadcaster VRT said it had no evidence of vote tampering, it called for full transparency. Dutch networks Avrotros and NPO said the contest is “increasingly influenced by societal and geopolitical tensions,” questioning whether Eurovision still serves as an apolitical and unifying cultural event.
In response, Eurovision director Martin Green affirmed that all results were verified by independent compliance monitors and the EBU’s partner Once, noting there was “no indication of irregular voting patterns.” He acknowledged broadcaster concerns and said a broad discussion will be held to evaluate the contest’s procedures.
Meanwhile, Eurovision News reported that the Israeli government promoted its entry via official ads and state-run social media, a move the EBU confirmed did not breach contest rules.
With information from the BBC.
