Not long before the deadline for confirming participation, Romania’s TVR became the 21st broadcaster to confirm their place in Rotterdam. However, details regarding how they will select their entry have been scarce since. As of last month, the broadcaster said discussions were still ‘ongoing’ regarding their selection method. Now, it appears the the Romanian national final is returning this year after all…
On New Year’s Eve, Constantin Toma, the Mayor of Buzãu took to Facebook to announce that the city is “99% likely” to host the final of Selectia Nationala this year. Mr Toma also claims that the final of the Romanian national final will be taking place on March 1st. He claims that the national selection taking place in the city, about an hour away from the Romanian capital Bucharest, will put it Buzãu on the map.
We are talking about the continuation of cultural projects. It is very possible, 99 percent, for the [Selectija Nationala] final, which will be on March 1, to take place in Buzau. Buzau…will enter the cultural map of Romania, but also on the cultural map of Europe…
Constantin Toma via his NYE address on Facebook
This announcement is notable for a few reasons, namely because TVR have been very scarce with the details of their selection method for Rotterdam. Further, the broadcaster have yet to confirm or deny that what Mr Toma is claiming is true. Of course, there’s still a 1% chance that it’s false! If not, however, there are less than two months until the final and the broadcaster don’t appear to have released a call for songs yet…
Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest
Romania first debuted at Eurovision back in 1994 with Dan Bittman, who finished in 21st place with 14 points. After failing to qualify in 1996, the country returned in 1998, finishing 22nd. Since 2002, they have never missed a contest and throughout their history enjoyed good results and qualification rates. However, they have yet to win the contest.
So far, their best result is the 3rd place achieved twice in 2005 by Luminita and Sistem in Kyiv and in 2010 by Ovi and Paula Seling in Oslo. In more recent years, they broke their qualification streak in 2018, when The Humans finished 11th with 107 points in the second semi-final.
In Tel Aviv, Ester Peony delivered an enchanting performance of her song “On a Sunday”, but failed to qualify. She finished in 13th place on 71 points, which is Romania’s worst result to date. Will 2020 see a turn around of their fortunes?
Are you glad to see the selection likely to be returning? Who would you like to see Romania send to Rotterdam? Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the news in the run up to Rotterdam!
