Moldova Eurovision broadcaster chief resigns amid jury-voting protests

Vlad Țurcanu resigned on Monday as director general of Moldova’s public broadcaster, Teleradio-Moldova, after protests over the country’s jury vote in the Eurovision Song Contest final. The resignation followed a backlash in Moldova and Romania after the Moldovan jury gave neighboring Romania three points and gave Ukraine no points in Saturday’s final in Vienna. Țurcanu said at a news conference that the broadcaster had distanced itself from the jury’s decision but that responsibility rested with him. Reuters and Moldpres reported the resignation on May 18 and May 19. The dispute centered on a split between Moldova’s professional jury and its televoters. Reuters reported that Moldova’s jury awarded 12 points to Poland and 10 to Israel, while televoters gave Romania the maximum 12 points. Moldova’s Eurovision entrant, Satoshi, said public support for Romania “reflects the real opinion of our society,” according to Reuters. (usnews.com) ### Why did Vlad Țurcanu step down? Vlad Țurcanu said the decision was his own. “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,” he said, according to Reuters and Moldpres. Moldpres reported that he would submit a resignation request to TRM’s Supervisory Council. (usnews.com) RTÉ reported that Țurcanu described the episode as an “extraordinary” and “serious” incident. He also said the jury had failed to account for “sensitivities” in Moldova’s relations with Romania and Ukraine, according to RTÉ. ### What exactly triggered the protests? Moldova’s Eurovision jury vote became the focus of criticism after the May 16 final in Vienna. (usnews.com) Reuters said many hundreds of fans denounced the jury on social media after it gave only three points to Romania, a country with which Moldova has strong linguistic and cultural ties. Viewers also objected to the jury awarding no points to Ukraine. (rte.ie) Moldpres said the criticism spread in both Moldova and Romania and targeted not only the scores but also the way the national jury had been appointed. TRM said on May 17 that the jury’s decisions were independent and did not reflect the broadcaster’s official or editorial position. (usnews.com) ### How did the broadcaster and others respond? Teleradio-Moldova said it had distanced itself from the jury’s decisions, but did not dispute the published scores. RTÉ reported that Romania’s entrant, Alexandra Căpitănescu, said she had no hard feelings and wrote on Instagram that “it’s not right for an entire nation to be held accountable for the decision of just seven people.” RTÉ also reported that jury member Viktoria Cușnir said the backlash felt like “a public lynching experience.” (moldpres.md) Moldova’s culture minister, Cristian Jardan, called for explanations over the vote, according to RTÉ. Satoshi, who finished eighth for Moldova, appealed for calm and wrote on Instagram: “Do not fuel hatred. Our countries have been and will remain friends.” ### Were online claims that Eurovision was “fixed” part of this? (moldpres.md) Euronews reported on May 19 that viral posts claiming the 2026 contest was secretly fixed were false. One widely shared post alleged, without evidence, that Finland had paid to secure victory; Euronews said the anonymous account offered no verifiable proof and that an EBU spokesperson called the allegation “false information.” (rte.ie) The fact-check came as wider scrutiny of Eurovision voting rules spread online. Euronews said the final result combines public televotes with rankings from national juries, whose votes are independently processed and verified through voting partners and telecom providers. ### What were the official contest results? (euronews.com) Eurovision World said Bulgaria won the May 16 final in Vienna with 516 points for DARA’s “Bangaranga.” Moldpres reported that Israel finished second with 343 points, Romania placed third with 296, and Moldova’s Satoshi finished eighth with 226. TRM’s next formal step is the Supervisory Council process for Țurcanu’s resignation, which he said he would initiate under Moldovan law. (euronews.com) The broadcaster’s May 17 statement and the published Eurovision scoreboard remain the key public records of the dispute. (moldpres.md) (eurovisionworld.com)