In the last few days, TeleRadio-Moldova has entered a crisis following the publication of the detailed votes from the Moldovan jury for the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final.
A jury vote lacking support for Romania and Ukraine
The source of the crisis is the results of the Moldovan jury at Eurovision 2026, especially the rankings given to Romania (8th, 3 points) and Ukraine (19th, no points) during the Grand Final, with Poland winning the Moldovan jury’s 12 points.
Hesitation from the spokesperson
During the show, Moldova’s spokeswoman Rita Englești discovered the points given by the Moldovan jury before going on air, and expressed her “shock” at these results.
I’m still shaking and I can’t get over it. I had mixed feelings. Because a part of me is crying with joy because the dream of my life has come true: as a little child I dreamed of presenting Moldova’s score at Eurovision. And that happened! And the child in me is very happy. But another part of me is devastated. Because you saw what score I had to present today…
Rita Englești about her experience as Moldova’s spokesperson for Eurovision 2026
She wanted to withdraw from presenting the points of the Moldovan jury, but was convinced to continue as planned after exchanges with the channel’s management.
A statement from the broadcaster
The eventual results resulted in a public outcry in Moldova (and Romania), which led the broadcaster TRM to publish a press statement about the situation. The document re-explained the way the jury vote (using the “jury show” performances only, using the criteria set forth by the EBU, etc.) and explained that their decision was independent, but that it did not reflect the position of the broadcaster.
TRM states that it did not in any way influence the jury’s decision, which was made independently. Furthermore, TRM tried to ensure that the process would be transparent by appointing a notary who monitored the voting.
TeleRadio-Moldova’s statement on the votes of the Moldovan Jury in Eurovision 2026
We emphasize that the final result does not in any way represent the institution’s position.
The Director-General hands over his resignation
Yesterday, the Director-General of TRM, Vlad Turcanu, held a press conference to announce his resignation following the vote of the jury. Although he re-affirmed the independence of jurors, he decided to take the responsibility for what is seen as a diplomatic crisis between Romania and Moldova.
Even though we dissociated ourselves from the decisions of the jury appointed to score the artistic performances at the Eurovision final in Vienna, the vote expressed is our responsibility and, first and foremost, mine, as the head of the institution.
Vlad Turcanu in his resignation press conference
[…]
Our attitude towards Ukraine is not “zero points”, considering its daily sacrifices, and our feeling for Romania can only be one of love.
The resignation was also described as a way to protect the institution of the public broadcaster from the reactions in Moldova, as it continues building its independence. Turcanu and his team thus intend to “take the fall”, as the legislation and by-laws governing TRM will cause all the deputy-directors to automatically lose their position once Turcanu’s resignation is accepted by the broadcaster’s supervisory board. This may include Andrei Zapşa, one of the juror, who is deputy director-general for television at TRM.
Turcanu himself is not just a TV executive: he first had a popular career as a radio presenter, as well as a career in politics, having been the President’s spokesman between 2012 and 2016 (when he resigned, already on a matter of principles at the time, having misinformed the public on a government matter, although it had been in good faith as he had not been updated on the latest information on the topic). He was also vice-president of a centre-right party advocating for the unification of Moldova and Romania and integration into NATO and the EU.
Reactions from Alexandra Căpitănescu and President Maia Sandu
Other reactions have also arisen to calm the situation, from the Romanian entrant Alexandra Căpitănescu for example, who posted the following message on her socials:
We thank all fans in Moldova for their support and votes. We are not upset with the Moldovan jury, which scored as it believed best, and it is not fair to hold an entire nation responsible for the decision of seven people.
Alexandra Căpitănescu on the votes of the Moldovan jury
Moldova’s president Maia Sandu, known for her pro-Europe policy and personally in favour of the union of Moldova and Romania, also downplayed the situation and pointed at the 12 points that the Moldovan televote did give to Romania, when asked about it during a visit to Strasbourg:
I believe we should not allow anything or anyone to affect relations between our two countries. It is important that people in Moldova gave the highest appreciation to Romanian artists. That is what matters most. Congratulations to both Alexandra and Vlad [real name of Satoshi, Moldova’s entrant].
Maia Sandu, asked on whether the jury votes from Moldova could harm bilateral relations with Romania
The exact votes from the Moldovan jury
Below, you can find the votes from the seven jurors of Moldova: each cell represents the rank given by an individual juror to a specific country (for example, Juror B ranked Australia 9th). The last column is the aggregated ranking of the specific country, with the top 10 getting points from 1 to 12.
| Country | Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Juror F | Juror G | Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 17 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 13 | 13 |
| Australia | 6 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| Austria | 18 | 18 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 24 |
| Belgium | 8 | 17 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 20 | 12 |
| Bulgaria | 5 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Croatia | 19 | 5 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 14 |
| Cyprus | 24 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 21 |
| Czechia | 16 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 6 |
| Denmark | 13 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 23 | 15 |
| Finland | 9 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| France | 10 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Germany | 14 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 24 | 22 | 22 |
| Greece | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Israel | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Italy | 15 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Lithuania | 11 | 24 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
| Malta | 22 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 18 |
| Norway | 4 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| Poland | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Romania | 7 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 8 |
| Serbia | 12 | 15 | 24 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Sweden | 23 | 22 | 6 | 19 | 15 | 21 | 16 | 17 |
| Ukraine | 20 | 23 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 19 |
| United Kingdom | 21 | 21 | 14 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 23 |
The seven jurors were:
- Andrei Zapşa, conductor, deputy general director responsible for television at TRM
- Corina Caireac, expert in audiovisual production, artist management and communication.
- She was part of the artistic management and communication team of the Moldovan delegation at Eurovision 2005 and Eurovision 2022, alongside the band Zdob și Zdup.
- Catalina Solomac, music performer.
- She participated in three editions of Moldova’s national selection. Her song, “Pink Margarita” ranked 3rd in the national final of ESC Moldova in 2026.
- Pavel Orlov, performer, band lead singer, composer and music producer.
- He took second place in the national final of Eurovision Moldova 2026.
- Stanislav Goncear, artist, who works mainly in the pop-jazz and soul/R&B genres, with jazz influences and a contemporary pop sound, collaborating with young artists who share similar musical tastes.
- Victoria Cuşnir, journalist at Radio Chişinău, Graduate of the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, specializing in screenwriting, film and television directing. Producer of shows about music and culture, director of outdoor performances and documentary filmmaker.
- Member of the jury for the Moldovan national selection in 2018, 2022 and 2024.
- Ilona Stepan, artistic director and first conductor of the “Doina” Academic Choral Chapel.
Although we have not yet made full calculations to statistically test this hypothesis, it does not seem that the Moldovan jury has voted in a way that would be statistically suspicious or completely out of line compared to other juries. Only nine juries gave points to Ukraine, and sixteen to Romania, for example.
How do you feel about the way this crisis is unfolding? Is it becoming too political or diplomatic? Should a broadcaster criticise a jury’s choice when it does not align with expectations and the popular vote? Tell us more in the comments below!
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