The director of the Eurovision Song Contest defended the integrity of the competition's voting process in an open letter released Friday, following allegations that audience votes were manipulated to benefit Israel's contestant, Yuval Raphael, who finished second.
Martin Green, the contest’s director, addressed the controversy nearly a week after the event’s final, emphasizing that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had closely engaged with its members, fans and the media in the aftermath.
"For the Eurovision Song Contest, specially designed systems are used to monitor and prevent fraud," Green wrote. "Additionally, more than 60 individuals in Cologne, and several others in Vienna and Amsterdam, monitor the voting process in each country and maintain direct contact with telecommunication and broadcasting partners globally."
He noted that results are verified using an "8-eye principle" by senior staff at Once, the voting oversight partner, whose leadership team collectively holds more than four decades of experience in vote verification.
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Green also acknowledged the role of community mobilization in Eurovision's voting culture. "All audience voting, be it SMS, call or online, shows evidence of the motivation of communities or diasporas around certain contestants," he wrote, pointing to factors such as personal stories, geographic ties and current events. He added that such dynamics are common in music competitions and are part of Eurovision's tradition.
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Yuval Raphael wins second place at the Eurovision Song Contest
(Photo: Gil Nechushtan)
Addressing accusations that Jewish communities may have disproportionately influenced the vote in support of Raphael, Green said the EBU would review the promotional activities of delegations and their affiliates. While such promotion is allowed and typical in the music industry, he said the EBU wants to ensure it does not skew the contest's natural voting patterns.
Green concluded by reaffirming that each voter can cast up to 20 votes per payment method—a rule designed to let audiences support multiple entries. He stated there is no evidence that this policy affected the final results but noted the issue would be further reviewed.