Several European public broadcasters have formally requested that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) launch an independent investigation into potential irregularities in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 voting process. The call follows an unexpected discrepancy between public votes and jury scores for Israel’s entry, which ultimately placed second in the competition.
Israel received top marks from public voters but zero from juries
Israel received twelve points (the maximum score) from public voters in twelve different voting areas, including Belgium, Spain, and Sweden, as well as from the international viewer group outside of the participating countries. However, the professional juries in these same regions awarded Israel zero points, raising concerns over potential manipulation or irregularities in the televoting system.
The contrast was especially sharp in Belgium, where broadcaster VRT highlighted the issue and released a statement: “VRT cooperates well with EBU on many levels, but without a serious answer to our concerns about the Eurovision Song Contest, we question our future participation.”
Spain and Belgium officially request full review of voting
In addition to VRT, Spain’s public broadcaster La 1 has also demanded a thorough review. The pattern repeated itself in Spain: twelve points from the public to Israel, and none from the jury. The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly criticized Israel’s participation, pointing out what he called a case of cultural double standards.
“If Russia was excluded due to the war in Ukraine, then Israel should not have been allowed to participate either,” Sánchez stated. “We cannot permit double standards in cultural events.”
Allegations of vote manipulation and calls for transparency
VRT also criticized the current voting system, particularly the fact that individual viewers can vote up to twenty times, which they claim could make the process susceptible to coordinated manipulation. Flemish MP Katia Segers echoed this concern, urging VRT to spearhead a call within the EBU for a full audit.
“Whether manipulation occurred in our country or others, participating or not, must be investigated,” Segers stated. “We must lead the debate on both the voting integrity and Israel’s participation.”
Since 2023, viewers from non-participating countries have been allowed to vote via the official Eurovision app and website, contributing to a global public vote. This change has added complexity and raised further questions about vote transparency and verification procedures.
Protests and controversy during the final
The atmosphere during the final in Basel, Switzerland, was tense. Israeli artist Yuval Raphael, who performed the song “New day will rise”, was met with booing and disruption attempts by pro-Palestinian activists, according to the EBU. Raphael’s team reported that she was “shaken and upset” by the events.
The incident adds another layer to the growing political tensions surrounding Eurovision, which has increasingly become a platform where entertainment and geopolitics collide.
