Singer DARA gave Bulgaria its first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday evening, with “Bagaranga”, an anthem to celebration and emancipation. The 27-year-old won with 516 points ahead of Israeli candidate Noam Bettan.
Romania finished third in the 70th edition of the most followed telehook in the world, ahead of the favorites of the Finnish and Australian predictions.
DARA, whose real name is Darina Yotova, seduced both the national juries and the international audience with her title “Bangaranga”. The title of his song, in Jamaican patois, means rebellion and the whole room danced in tune with his precise choreography, in a setting liberating the bodies.
“My job is to be on stage, to open my heart and shine with all my brilliance. The results are the people who decide them, not me, but that makes me so happy,” she declared during the long counting of points.
Boycotted edition
Her Balkan country, which had not participated in Eurovision over the last three years for financial reasons, will welcome all of Europe thanks to her next year.
However, until the last minute, Israeli candidate Noam Bettan was able to hope to win thanks to the public vote. The tension among the public was maximum seeing the pattern which was controversial last year reproduced identically.
Eurovision limited public votes this year after Israel was accused in 2025 of having influenced the public vote in its favor by campaigning in a disproportionate manner.
Due to the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip, five countries boycotted the Viennese edition, a first. More than a thousand international artists had also called for skipping this year.
But, ultimately, the 343 points of the Israeli artist, who partially sang in French, placed him far behind his competitor and the audience, who had booed the announcement of Israel’s results, gave the victorious Bulgarian a standing ovation.
Australia at the foot of the podium
The candidate from Romania, Alexandra Capitanescu, 22, came third thanks to an electrifying stage presence on the very heavy rock title “Choke me”.
Australia with star Delta Goodrem remained just off the podium. As for the Finnish favorites Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkonnen, they will have to settle for sixth place.
However, the press and the public had placed the Australian in first position in their vote after the general rehearsal on Friday evening.
With Monroe, 17 years old and “Regarde!”, a song mixing pop and opera, France, once in the leading trio, filled up with the jury’s votes, but did not receive many points from the public. She finished eleventh.
Final without Switzerland
In total, 25 artists qualified for the Eurovision final offered a show lasting more than two hours in a festive pyrotechnic deluge. The evening took place without Switzerland, Bernese Veronica Fusaro having failed to qualify during the second semi-final on Thursday with her song “Alice”.
Although 16 songs from the finale were performed in English, lyrics in 25 languages and dialects were sung.
Last year, some 166 million viewers followed the competition, organized by Switzerland in Basel. Austria hoped to do as well despite the boycott of Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland.
At the time when a large part of Europe was in front of its screens to watch the show, Spanish television RTVE also broadcast a black banner with the following message: “Eurovision is a competition, but not human rights. No indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine”.
Several hundred people chanting “Free Palestine” also demonstrated on Saturday in Vienna, with a strong police presence. “I find it deplorable that we are offering a platform for genocide,” Juli Pfefferkorn, a 17-year-old student who came from the other side of Austria to express her disapproval, told AFP.
This article has been automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
