Moldova broadcaster chief Vlad Țurcan resigns

Vlad Țurcan resigned on Monday as director general of Moldova’s public broadcaster, Teleradio-Moldova, after a backlash over the country’s jury vote in the Eurovision Song Contest final. The dispute centered on Moldova’s decision to award neighboring Romania only three points, despite the Moldovan public giving Romania the maximum 12 points. Țurcan said he had not directed the jury but accepted responsibility as head of the broadcaster. The final took place on May 16 in Vienna. ### Why did the vote trigger such a backlash? Moldova’s jury awarded 12 points to Poland, 10 to Israel, three to Romania and no points to Ukraine, according to reporting from Moldovan state news agency Moldpres and RTÉ. That split drew criticism in Moldova and Romania because Romania and Moldova share close linguistic and cultural ties, and because Moldova’s public televote had given Romania 12 points. (moldpres.md) The criticism also focused on Ukraine receiving no jury points from Moldova. RTÉ reported that Moldova’s culture minister, Cristian Jardan, called for “explanations” over the jury vote, while jury member Viktoria Cușnir said the reaction had become “a public lynching experience” and argued the result was not anti-Romanian. ### What exactly did Țurcan say when he quit? (moldpres.md) Țurcan told a news conference that he would submit his resignation to the Teleradio-Moldova supervisory council, Moldpres reported. He said that although the broadcaster had “distanced” itself from the jury’s decisions, “the vote that was cast is our responsibility and primarily mine, as head of the institution.” (rte.ie) RTÉ reported that Țurcan described the episode as an “extraordinary” and “serious” incident and said the jury had failed to take into account “sensitivities” between Moldova and its neighbors Romania and Ukraine. He added: “Our stance toward Ukraine is not one of zero points, and our feelings toward Romania can only be ones of love.” ### How did other participants respond? (moldpres.md) Alexandra Căpitănescu, Romania’s 22-year-old entrant, said she had no hard feelings toward Moldova’s jury, RTÉ reported. In an Instagram message cited by RTÉ, she thanked Moldovans who voted for her and said an entire nation should not be judged by the decision of seven jurors. Satoshi, Moldova’s own Eurovision act, also urged calm after the dispute. (rte.ie) RTÉ reported that he wrote on Instagram: “Do not fuel hatred. Our countries have been and will remain friends.” Moldova finished eighth in the contest with 226 points, while Romania placed third with 296 points. ### Where does this fit in the wider Eurovision result? (rte.ie) Bulgaria won the May 16 final in Vienna with Dara’s song “Bangaranga,” while Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second and Romania third, according to Moldpres and RTÉ. Moldova’s result was comparatively strong at eighth place, but the post-contest attention shifted to the jury split rather than its own finish. (moldpres.md) The United Kingdom finished 25th with one point for Look Mum No Computer’s “Eins, Zwei, Drei,” according to Eurovisionworld’s results page. ### What happens next? Țurcan said he would formally submit his resignation to Teleradio-Moldova’s supervisory council, as required by law, Moldpres reported. The broadcaster had already issued a statement on May 17 saying the jury’s decisions were independent and did not reflect the company’s editorial position. (moldpres.md) The next formal step is the council’s handling of that resignation and any further explanation of how the jury was appointed and voted. (eurovisionworld.com)