At Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Moldova's jury awarded Ukraine zero points, and neighboring Romania only three. Meanwhile, ordinary Moldovan viewers gave Romania the maximum 12 points. The gap between "popular" and "expert" voting sparked a wave of outrage on social media and ultimately — a resignation at the highest level.
Who voted and how
Moldova's jury consisted of seven people: Andrei Zapsha (deputy general director of Teleradio-Moldova), Pavel Orlov, Stanislav Gonchar, Catalina Solomak, Corina Caireac, Ilona Stepan, and Victoria Kushnir. The composition was approved by TRM leadership. The jury awarded maximum 12 points to Poland — Ukraine and Romania ended up practically at the bottom of the seven experts' priority list. According to regulations, the jury assesses songs a day before the final — that is, before the live performance.
Margarita Druța, the host of Moldova's voting announcement, did not hide her shock. In a TikTok video, she admitted that after receiving the results, she "even considered refusing to go on air."
"The brotherly relations that the Republic of Moldova has with Romania, as well as our gratitude and respect for Ukraine for its daily sacrifices, are unchangeable. Our attitude toward Ukraine is not zero, and our feelings toward Romania can only be love."
Vlad Țurcanu, general director of Teleradio-Moldova, briefing May 18
Why resignation is a signal, not an apology
At the May 18 briefing, Țurcanu emphasized that the broadcaster's leadership did not influence the jury's decision, but the company and its head are responsible for the results. "I avoided giving instructions to jury members, and what happened is an extraordinary event. In our view, the jury did not take into account the sensitive moments between the Republic of Moldova and our neighbors," he explained. Țurcanu will submit his resignation statement to TRM's Supervisory Board.
Moldova's Culture Minister Cristian Gherdan publicly demanded official explanations for the gap between jury and television viewer voting. A deputy from the ruling PAS party also called for the broadcaster's leadership to resign even before Țurcanu announced it himself.
Context: Eurovision as a mirror of geopolitics
Russia and Belarus have been officially excluded from the competition. However, the scandal in Vienna showed: cultural influence does not require direct participation — seven people who assess songs a day before the final without public justification are enough. Eurovision 2026 was won by Bulgaria — Dara with the song Bangaranga scored 516 points, winning both in the jury and in televoting. Romania came third with 296 points, Ukraine — ninth.
- Moldovan jury: Ukraine — 0 points, Romania — 3 points, Poland — 12 points
- Moldovan television viewers: Romania — 12 points
- Jury composition approved by TRM leadership, one member is deputy general director of the broadcaster
EBU regulations do not require juries to publicly explain their ratings — each member votes individually, and the aggregated result is announced without details. This very lack of transparency creates room for suspicion, even if facts of corruption have not been established.
If the EBU does not introduce mandatory public justification of jury ratings — especially in cases of sharp disagreements with televoting — Țurcanu's resignation will remain a gesture, not a reform.
