Remember the voice scandal from 2022 Eurovision, three years later

When we quickly approach Eurovision in 2025, it is easy to forget that the competition was shaken by scandal three short years ago when it turned out that juries had apparently determined their voices in six countries.

In the semifinals, the jury from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and San Marino are scraped due to “irregular coordination patterns”.

This incident led to a sudden, seismic change in the Eurovision Song Contest. For the 2023 competition, there were no votes in the semi-finals at all on the jury alles was decided by the public.

For Eurovision fans it was a disappointing, frustrating scandal because it affirmed what many people already think about the competition – that everything is political and has nothing to do with the songs.

It also put a sharp focus on how harmful a scandal for the credibility of the competition can be – and how many controversy the trust of the public in what is at the end of the day can damage to be a funny, glittering affair.

“I think I was very disappointed with many fans that certain countries tried to play the system and end up their way to the Grand Finale,” said Anthony Granger, editor-in-chief of the Eurovision Fan-Website Eurovoix, 2023.

“It makes a shadow on the results … and leaves many questions about what would have happened if these juries would not have tried to play the system.

“It is also noteworthy that these actions are taken for a television show, but it really shows what it means to make it to the countries of the countries until the final.”

Eurovision voting scandal made the competition look politically

Vaughan Staples, President of the Eurovision Fan Group in Great Britain, says that the 2022 scandal made it more difficult for fans to convince the general public that the coordination is not just about politics.

“We often say when you enter a song that is decent enough, you will make it good. “

Nevertheless, Vaughan understands why the election scandal primarily took place – the juries have agreed to vote each other because the winning of the Eurovision Song competition is a big deal.

“When you win, organize the next competition so that the price basically brings a lot of people to your country and hand it over,” he says.

“This is a big draw for certain countries, especially smaller countries in which you never win the World Cup or have the Olympic Games in your country.

“Eurovision is actually possible because, in the end, if you have the competition, you have the chance to organize it. Unfortunately, this is big enough that certain countries go along the path of tactical coordination.”

For many, the Eurovision -Song competition may appear a carefree affair, but the failure of the 2022 vote scandal shows how influential it is -and how important it is that the countries can compete and win. That is why it is ruled so strictly with a complex rules of the European Radio Union (EBU).

Over the years, the EBU has tirelessly worked to ensure that the competition is waterproof. As part of it, they have always tried to ensure that Eurovision is not political, so that no prejudices or unfair treatment are treated on the way.

But things change slowly. Before the 2022 competition, the EBU met under extraordinary pressure and decided to rule out Russia from the competition for its invasion into Ukraine. Ultimately, the logic was simple: it would be cruel to perform Ukraine's Ukraine at the same level as its oppressor.

“The event is proud to be apolitical to a rather violent conclusion, and that was the first time that the competition had positioned,” emphasizes Vaughan. “Before that, they did not comment and in fact they weren't quickly off the footsteps when they made a decision that Russia did not take part in the competition, they were much slower than others.”

He believes that the EBU is generally afraid to take measures that could be seen as a political attitude because they can then be expected that they are in other questions, such as Israel's participation in the competition.

“If you start to comment, where do you stop?” Asks Vaughan.

Eurovision 2025 will take place in Basel, Switzerland, from May 13th to 17th. The two semi -finals take place on May 13th and 15th. The Grand Final will take place on May 17th.