The head of Moldova's public broadcaster, Vlad Turcanu, resigned on Monday following widespread public outrage over the country's voting in the Eurovision Song Contest. Hundreds of fans took to social media to criticise the Moldovan jury's decision to award only three points to neighbouring Romania, a country with which Moldova shares strong cultural and linguistic ties.
Turcanu announced his resignation at a hastily called news conference, stating: 'This was my decision. We distanced ourselves from the jury's voting, but it is still our responsibility, my responsibility in the first instance, as head of this institution.' The jury, selected by the broadcaster, gave the maximum 12 points to Poland, which finished 12th, and 10 points to Israel, the runner-up. Bulgaria was declared the winner.
Television viewers, whose votes are also counted in the final standings, awarded 12 points to Romania's entry, Alexandra Capitanescu. They also expressed anger that the jury gave no points to Ukraine. Former Defence Minister Anatol Salaru wrote on Facebook: 'The only thing that matters is votes by ordinary people. This was a vote among brothers. The rest is an unimportant detail.'
Moldova's own entry, Satoshi, said the public support for Romania 'reflects the real opinion of our society.' The resignation highlights the power of social media in one of Europe's poorest countries, whose president has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is seeking EU membership by 2030.
