Credits
News
© esctoday.com
Cyprus, Belgium and Ireland return
The Eurovision power shift
Belgium won their first place in the Eurovision Song Contest final since semi finals were introduced in 2004 whilst Cyprus qualified last night for the first time since 2004's Lisa Andreas entry, Stronger every minute. Ireland's qualification is only their second success in a Eurovision Song Contest semi final, the previous time being in Greece when Brian Kennedy took nineth place in the semi final and 10th in the final with Every song is a cry for love.
Making way for the returning nations are Sweden, who failed to reach the Eurovision Song Contest final for the first time since 1976. Along with Finland, two Nordic countries are making a rare miss for the grand final. A similar situation in the former Yugoslavia sees only Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia represented in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Both qualified on Tuesday, when FYR Macedonia missed out. Last night, Croatia and Slovenia both failed to meet them in the final.
The Baltic states are also missing from tomorrow's Final, with Latvia and Estonia failing to make the top ten on Tuesday and Lithuania missing out last night. Yet all seven former Soviet states (excluding the Baltic states) will be present in the final. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia all passed through the second semi final to meet Moldova, Belarus and Russia in the final.
Related polls
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Melodi Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Milli Seçim Turu
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the final of A Dal
- Iceland: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Songvakeppni Sjonvarpsins
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the second semifinal of A Dal
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the third semifinal of Melodi Grand Prix
- Sweden: Vote for your favourite act in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the semifinal of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Bulgaria: Vote for your favourite act in the Bulgarian national final 2012
- Latvia: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Eirodziesma 2012
- Belarus: Vote for your favourite act in the final of EuroFest 2012
Go directly to the reactions
Reactions
When reacting to a news item, please stick to the topic. Inappropriate messages (swearing, racism, hate, etc.), messages in other languages than English and spam (which includes URL advertising) will be deleted and you risk your account being removed. Reacting on newsitems is only possible when logged in as a member. Still don't have member account?
Click here to react Click here to become a member (free!)
I think its not the problem that the power is shifted. THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT there is a voting power... and all countries have to be equal.... EQUALITY people xD
Can I just point out ths Sweden didn't fail to make the final in 1976, they didn't enter. It's not the same thing. they didn't enter in 1970,1957,and 1956 either. Other than that they've been in every final until this one.
according to BET sites and media results TURKEY ,AZERBAIJAN, BELGIUM are VERY VERY POPULAR and one step more near to the finish line than others
at semi final live performance was awesome watch and decide :
http://www.youtube.c(...)re=player_embedded#!
good luck all countries
Vote now:
http://esc-lyrics.blogspot.com/
Western Europe is back at its feet again this year!!!! Well, except for Sweden, unfortunately. 
Also it's weird that some of the countries that went into the final are in Asia or are partly in Asia (Turkey, Cyprus, Armenia, Israel, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan).
It's outrageous that all those former Soviet states made it -- particularly RUSSIA and BELARUS. Boring. I'm waking myself up with the Top 10 Most Outrageous Eurovision performances of all time:
http://www.time.com/(...)90719_1990722_199072 7,00.html
It is good that times change so that other countries can get their turn too. It's how it should be. I just wish that Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus and Moldova didn't qualify. I hope that someday AAG won't qualify no matter what crap they send like this year. Ukraine always qualify too without deserving it, but I don't hate their entry this year. AAG sucks BAD though.
No, Slovakia was a republic together with the Czechs. Before that it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire.
didn't slovakia belong to Russia?
Numbers of votes don't mean anything on there own, because they don't take into account how many times both countries have been in the contest together. Many Eastern European countries haven't been in the contest 15 years or anything close to it, so of course they will have received less points than countries that have. Below is a list of the averages 11-12. The highest average in western Europe is 10.0 from Norway to Denmark which is 32nd on the list overall. You can see all the averages 8-12 on my profile.
FROM TO
Georgia Armenia 12.0
Turkey Azerbaijan 12.0
Greece Cyprus 12.0
Cyprus Greece 12.0
Romania Moldova 12.0
Armenia Russia 12.0
Bosnia & Herzegovina Serbia 12.0
Montenegro Serbia 12.0
Slovenia Serbia 12.0
Switzerland Serbia 12.0
Austria Serbia & Montenegro 12.0
Croatia Serbia & Montenegro 12.0
Switzerland Serbia & Montenegro 12.0
Azerbaijan Turkey 12.0
Bulgaria Greece 11.6
Czech Rep Armenia 11.3
Belarus Russia 11.3
Hungary Azerbaijan 11.0
Moldova Romania 11.0
Croatia Serbia 11.0
FYR Macedonia Serbia 11.0
Bosnia & Herzegovina Serbia & Montenegro 11.0
Slovenia Serbia & Montenegro 11.0
No these are the actualy votes. done not by me but by Norway's newspaper named VG
@ sanka
of course it took you some time to find these votes which are mostly armenian and turkish diaspora and nordic and balkan bloc votes....i suppose you found first dozens of points exchanged between russia belarus estonia latvia lithuania romania moldova armenia georgia etc..
It took me some time to find it but here are the stronges alliances during the last 15 years
1. Cyprus to Greece -> 154 points
2. Germany to Turkey -> 133 points
3. France to Turkey -> 121 points
4. Norway to Sweden -> 114 points
5. Croatia to Bosnia -> 105 points
6. Estonia to Russia -> 103 points
6. The Netherlands to Turkey -> 103 points
8. Denmark to Sweden -> 101 points
8. Bosnia to Croatia -> 101 points
10. Greece to Cyprus -> 92 points
11. Sweden to Norway -> 90 points
Now blame eastern europe based on that .......
Mario Mir
I do not agree that the Nordic countries are in any sense an equivalent block to either former Yugoslavian, or former USSR countries. The level of voting bias between the Nordic countries is significantly less than between the other two blocks and many of the former USSR and Yugo blocks also have diasporas outside of their block.
Between 2000 and 2009, there are only 3 averages of 8-12 from any country to any of the 5 Nordic countries: two to Denmark and one to Sweden.
By contrast there are 18 averages in that range to the 5 former Yugoslav countries that have been in the final (plus 10 more to Serbia & Montenegro). Slovenia is the only one of these countries that hasn't received such a high average.
The 9 former USSR countries (excluding Belarus, who were only in one final) have received 36 averages in the 8-12 range, from one another, diasporas or 'friends' e.g. Romania to Moldova, Turkey to Azerbaijan. All 9 countries have received at least one average in this range, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia have each received averages from 7 different countries in the 8-12 range.
well, to be honest Cyprus was indeed the best last night, along with Sweden
Lina - you "surprisingly" "forgot' to mention Cyprus giving 12 points to Greece. And Cyprus is in the first place for giving most number of 12 points to its neighbour during the last 15 years.
To me Belgium is definitely the winner this year. Tom Dice singing his song 'Me and My Guitar' is so beautiful and so touching!!!
Belarus,Moldova,Ukraine,Georgi a=HORRORS.
Expect a neighbouring voting.
Greece: 12 p goes to cyprus!!!!
..and why?? because we CAN!!!
GO GREECE AND CYPRUS
@ Diego D
I totally agree! Shame that most people can't appreciate it.
"LOST AND FORGOTTEN" is perhaps the only one entry in 2010 standing out from that crowded dough of circus acts, which have shifted music and lyrics off the focus of many participants and audience in Eurovision Song Contest. This beautiful melody could become a classic similar to "Smoke gets in your eyes" (The Platters) or "Girl" (The Beatles). SUCCESS TO NALITCH AND FRIENDS (RUSSIA) IN THE FINAL!!! Back to real people!
Well, at least this year the traditional Nordic and Ex-Yug blocks have been dismantled.
Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark) have qualified in block both in 2008 and 2009. And now some of them claim against Ex-USSR block, why? Because this year you've finally failed to put all your block again in the final?
The ex-Yug block started to getting weak in 2008 (FYROM has vanished from the final since then) and also in 2009 with the failure of "untouchable" Serbia and now it's turn for Croatia. Slovenia seems to be down permanently.
About Baltic states, I'm really afraid that they're starting to get infected with the same "virus" that have almost expelled from ESC all the Central European block. Poland, Slovakia and Lithuania are now on the brink of withdrawal...
Not really a power shift...some people in the juries and at home voted for bad entries like denmark, greece, armenia and azerbaijan (diabolical performance last night) over deserved qualifiers like Sweden and Croatia and Slovakia for their songs!
What a shame Sweden didn't make it! I thought thy juries were supposed to vote on song quality... How can Ukraine go through with a horrible ear-kill song and Sweden gets eliminated???
@Alex yes 
exept if they send good song 
I would like to change in the way of getting the finalists .. I would divide the country by SSS R semifinal, seventh of them .. just 3 bar in a semi-final and not their fifth. then give them and other countries a chance to pass!
the strange thing is, it is those countries located in the middle of the continent that failed, those on the western and eastern parts qualified
The list of 110 reactions is divided into 5 pages. Choose a page:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
React yourself
This news article is older than one week. Reacting to articles is only possible in the first week after publication.
