Moldova public TV president resigns
- Moldova public broadcaster chief Vlad Țurcanu resigned on May 20 after the country’s Eurovision jury awarded neighboring Romania only three points, Franceinfo reported. - Romania’s entry, “Choke Me,” finished third overall, and President Maia Sandu called the Moldovan jury score an attempt to damage bilateral ties. - Detailed Eurovision split results are published on the contest’s official results pages, while broadcaster fallout is being tracked by Moldovan and French media.
Vlad Țurcanu resigned as head of Moldova’s public broadcaster on May 20 after a dispute over the country’s Eurovision jury vote for neighboring Romania, according to Franceinfo. The row centered on the Moldovan national jury awarding Romania only three points in the 2026 final, a result that drew criticism in Chisinau after Romania’s song finished third overall. President Maia Sandu said the low score was meant to hurt relations between the two countries, according to Pravda Moldova. The Eurovision final was held on May 16 in Vienna, where production supplier Robe said nearly 550 of its luminaires were used in the show. ### Who resigned, and over what vote? Franceinfo reported that Țurcanu stepped down after the Moldovan jury’s score for Romania became a political issue. The report said the broadcaster chief took responsibility after the jury gave Romania three points. Moldova and Romania have close linguistic, cultural and political ties, which made the low jury mark more sensitive than a routine Eurovision dispute. Franceinfo said the controversy centered specifically on the national jury score rather than the televote. (livedesignonline.com) ### Why did Maia Sandu weigh in? Maia Sandu said the low marks given by Moldova’s national jury to the Romanian participants were seen as an attempt to negatively affect relations between the two countries, according to a May 20 Pravda Moldova report. (franceinfo.fr) That statement elevated the dispute from an entertainment story to one involving Moldova’s presidency and its relationship with Bucharest. Pravda Moldova’s report linked Sandu’s remarks directly to the Eurovision vote. (franceinfo.fr) The outlet said she regarded the jury’s decision as an effort to damage ties with Romania. ### What do we know about Romania’s result? Romania’s 2026 Eurovision entry, “Choke Me,” finished third overall, according to the Franceinfo report summarized in the briefing. That made Moldova’s three-point jury award more conspicuous because the Romanian song placed near the top of the final standings. (md.news-pravda.com) The Eurovision Song Contest publishes country-by-country split results on its official results pages. Those pages are where viewers can check how each national jury and televote allocated points. (md.news-pravda.com) ### Was this only a politics story, or also a production story? Live Design reported on May 21 that lighting company Robe was a technical partner for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. The trade publication said lighting designer Tim Routledge used nearly 550 Robe luminaires for the contest at the Wiener Stadthalle. (franceinfo.fr) The production details did not relate to the Moldovan broadcaster dispute, but they place the controversy in the context of a large-scale live television event staged over the May 12, 14 and 16 Eurovision dates in Austria. (eurovision.tv) ### What comes next? Eurovision’s official results archive remains the main public source for the detailed jury breakdown from the May 16 final. Any further response from Moldova’s public broadcaster, or from Moldovan officials about how juries are selected, is likely to come through the broadcaster itself or local media following Țurcanu’s May 20 resignation. (livedesignonline.com) (eurovision.tv)
