Portugal guarantees place in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest

For the fourth time in a row, Portugal guarantees qualification for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. After “Love is On My Side”by The Black Mamba (2021), “Longing“, March (2022) and “Oh Heart“, by Mimicat (2023), the “Shout“, de Iolanda gathered enough votes to secure a place in Saturday’s final.

In addition to the Portuguese representative, songs from Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland and Luxembourg qualified in this first semi-final. The Eurovision final will be broadcast live on RTP1 next Saturday from 8pm.

Songs from Poland, Iceland, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Australia were left out of the grand final.

In the second semi-final, which takes place next Thursday, Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands compete.

Already selected are the songs from the usual “big five”: Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, plus music from the host country, Sweden. In the final, 26 songs compete: the “big five”, Sweden, the host country, the ten songs qualified in this first semi-final and another ten songs qualified in Thursday’s semi-final.

This year’s edition is marked by the challenge to Israel’s controversial participation. Several artists and personalities called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the festival, to veto the country’s participation due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

In March, a group of artists competing in the festival, including the Portuguese representative, signed a letter calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the war in Israel.

In the letter, they stated that they did not feel “comfortable in remaining silent” in the face of the “current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

The EBU has argued that this is an “apolitical” festival and according to the Israeli press, it vetoed the first song proposals sent by Israel, claiming that the lyrics had references to the Hamas attack on October 7th.

The decision to maintain Israel’s participation contrasts with the deliberation two years ago, when Russia was expelled following the invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022.

w/ Lusa