The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has changed the rules for voting during the Eurovision Song Contest, the partnership of participating public broadcasters announces. announced on Friday. The EBU is under high pressure from various broadcasters, including the Dutch AVROTROS, to do something about Israel’s participation. Last edition, Israel finished in second place, partly thanks to a government campaign. The adjustment reduces, among other things, the influence of public votes.
Another change from the EBU is that “disproportionate promotional campaigns” will be “discouraged”, especially if undertaken by “third parties including governments”. Violation of this rule may lead to sanctions. The EBU wants to use systems that will expose suspicious patterns in voting behavior. In addition, the maximum number of public votes per person will be reduced from twenty to ten. A professional jury will also be added to the voting process in the semi-finals, further reducing the influence of public votes.
During the 2025 edition, Israel was very popular among the voting public, which is responsible for half of the results of the Eurovision final. This was partly due to paid advertisements from an Israeli government advertising agency, and Israeli ambassadors in various countries also called on people to vote in favor of the country’s entry.
Vote on Israel’s participation
Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest is under high tension due to the war in Gaza. Several broadcasters are demanding that Israel be excluded from the event. In September, AVROTROS decided to refrain from participating on behalf of the Netherlands in 2026 if Israel were to participate. Spain, one of the event’s main backers, has also taken that position.
The EBU was due to hold a vote on Israel’s participation in November, but due to the implementation of the ceasefire, this vote was postponed to December. It will then become clear whether the most critical broadcasters have also changed their minds as a result of the fragile ceasefire. The event will take place in 2026 in Austria, the country of the winner of the last edition.
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