You're reading: Ukraine’s choice for Eurovision contest questioned, repeat vote possible

Scandal and Ukraine’s participation in Eurovision, Europe’s top pop song contest, seem to go hand in hand. In sticking with tradition, this year is shaping up to be no different.

Controversy is breaking out over Ukraine’s choice for this year’s Eurovision 2011 contest: 24-year old Mika Newton. With protest against the choice mounting, her chances of representing Ukraine at this year’s Eurovision contest could still be reversed. Late on Feb. 28, officials announced that a repeat contest could be held within days.

Mika Newton was chosen in a nationally broadcast Feb. 26 contest that has been widely derided as unfair. Many observers think that 27-year old singer Jamala should have won.

“We hope that the SMS voting was honest, not rigged,” said Hanna Herman, a jury member and deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential administration.

Otherwise, Herman said it appears that “money played more of a role than talent, something I did not want to happen. I respect people who presume on themselves and succeed without it. And I’m doubly upset that money in this case was worth more than talent.”

Hanna Herman

Suspicions of foul play are spreading, not least because the word Eurovision in Ukraine has long become synonymous with shady dealing.

In a 2010 contest deemed uncompetitive, management of Ukraine’s state television channel First National chose singer Vasyl Lazarovych, even though other singers outpolled him. The choice was overturned in a repeat contest. But the new singer chosen, singer Alyosha, was not left unscathed. Eurovision asked her to change her song amidst accusations of plagiarism.

One year earlier, singer Anastasiya Prikhodko was kicked out of Ukraine’s annual contest for choosing which singer would represent the country. The action was seen by many as a plot to ensure victory for one of her top competitors. Prikhodko retaliated by representing Russia at Eurovision instead.

At this year’s contest, Jamala was supported by two previous Ukrainian Eurovision contestants, including Eurovision 2004 winner Ruslana and Ani Lorak, who represented Ukraine in 2008.

Jamala

Jamala scored several fold more points through unique votes made via SMS and Internet. But Mika Newton got more total votes through these electronic voting means. The final numbers suggest that some strong Mika Newton supporters have spent more than Hr 50 to vote for her multiple times. It’s an expense average Ukrainians could not afford.

Also scoring higher than Jamala in terms of total SMS and Internet votes was Zlata Ognevych. And weighing in to make the final choice was the decision of a jury panel put together by First National Channel, which is responsible for organizing Ukraine’s participation in Eurovision.

But Mika Newton’s chances of representing Ukraine are not yet sealed. Mounting protest has pressured First National Channel into proposing a runoff between the top three finalists: Mika Newton, Zlata Ognevych and Jamala. The state television channel announced late on Feb. 28 that it proposes a repeat contest between the finalists on March 3.

 

Zlata Ognevych

Devil in details

Despite a general feeling by observers that Jamala had the best act, the panel chose “Angels” by Mika Newton. The Ivano-Frankivsk native’s original name is Oksana Hrytsay.

Results of the contest, hosted by TV showman Savik Shuster, triggered a sea of complaints on the Internet website hosting the runoff. One read: “It’s time to stop treating us like saps!”

“Mika Newton is an angel in real life, but my sympathies were with other candidates,” said Herman “I liked singers Jamala and Anastasiya Prikhodko. They showed strong and energetic characters.”

Herman gave Mika Newton eight points. She awarded Jamala and Anastasiya Prikhodko both 10 points. Jury members were asked to recast their votes, but the tally remained the same.

Jury members Ruslana and Ani Lorak supported Jamala, awarding her the maximum 10 points. They Ruslana gave another 10 points to Zlata. But both Ruslana and Ani Lorak gave Mika Newton only 8 points. Alyosha (last year’s Eurovision candidate) graded Jamala and Mika Newton equally with nine points.

Meanwhile, First National Channel vice president Walid Arfush awarded Newton eight points. But he gave Jamala only five points which influenced final result.

The opinions of other jury members varied. Ukraine’s influential lawmaker and accordion player Yan Tabachnyk, music producer Eduard Klim and First National channel general director Yegor Benkendorf gave Mika Newton the maximum number of points.

As a result, Mika Newton won the jury runoff by one point. The vote tallies of jury members did not differ from the final results, which were: Mika Newton – 1st place, Zlata Ognevych – 2nd place, and Jamala – 3rd place.

The judges accounted for 45 percent of the total vote tally. SMS votes account for 45 percent, with Internet voting accounting for the remaining 10 percent. The rules of tabulating the vote favored the winner over her competitors, as the final runoff vote count indicated.

Jamala would have won the runoff if only unique Internet and SMS message votes had been tabulated. She received 7,104 unique Internet votes (unique IP addresses) and 6,365 unique SMS votes (unique mobile numbers), compared to 3,114 and 3,906, respectively, for Zlata Ognevych. The official winner of the competition, Mika Newton, received only 2,640 and 1,996 unique Internet and SMS votes.

Ognevych supporters sent an average of five SMS votes supporting their candidate, while Jamala supporters sent an average of 1.7 SMS votes for their candidate. Mika Newton fans sent an average of 14.5 messages voting for their choice. With the cost of sending one SMS message at Hr 3.6, the average Ognevych fan spent Hr. 18. Fans of Jamala and Newton spent Hr. 6 and 52, respectively.

In providing for unlimited SMS and Internet voting, observers say the rules of Eurovision contestant competition selection allow for contests with the deepest pockets to win.

Herman questioned the system, saying it is a shame that money decides more than talent.

In its Feb. 28 statement, the state television channel said if held on March 3, the runoff between the finalists would be held with different rules. Efforts will be taken to ensure that only one vote is allowed from each mobile phone and Internet user.

Speaking with the Kyiv Post after the controversial contest on Feb. 26, Benkendorf admitted that the existing rules were flawed. “I think that next year we should change the rules and only count unique IP address and telephone votes,” he said.

Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna can be reached at [email protected]