The decision of the jury of the Republic of Moldova to award only three points to Alexandra Căpitănescu in the Eurovision 2026 final generated strong reactions both among the public and among the officials from Chisinau. The Minister of Culture from the Republic of Moldova asked for explanations, and one of the jury members told how this score was reached for the Romanian representative
While the televote of the Moldovans gave Alexandra Căpitănescu the maximum score, the jury awarded only three points.
“The jury’s vote from the Republic of Moldova is incomprehensible, totally different from what the public voted for”
Cristian Jardan, the Minister of Culture from the Republic of Moldova, congratulated both the representative of Moldova, Satoshi, and Alexandra Căpitănescu, the representative of Romania, but publicly expressed his bewilderment at the major difference between the public vote and that of the jury.
“Congratulations, Satoshi! A superb evolution by which you represented the Republic of Moldova at Eurovision! Millions of Europeans voted for “Viva Moldova” and the overflowing energy of our song. Congratulations, Romania and Alexandra Căpitănescu for the podium! A wonderful performance, appreciated at the highest level by the public from the Republic of Moldova, the only one of the 28 countries participating in the final that offered the highest score for the performer from Romania. The jury’s vote from the Republic of Moldova is incomprehensible, totally different from what the public voted for. Moldova, Romania, Vlad, Alexandra, you conquered us! Thank you!” Jardan wrote in a Facebook post.
“We all need explanations, especially after such a vote of the public from the Republic of Moldova”
Later, responding to a criticism of the jury, the minister specified that “The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova has no direct connection with the organization of Eurovision in Moldova”, according to TVR Info.
“We supported the organizers as much as possible and, yes, we all need explanations, especially after such a vote of the public from the Republic of Moldova”.
“Alexandra was absolutely magnificent”
And the general director of the Teleradio-Moldova company, Vlad Țurcanu, declared himself surprised by the jury’s result:
“Satoshi was the favorite of the evening in the arena in Vienna, and Alexandra was downright magnificent. We thank the Moldovan public who voted for her. The public is always right. The jury surprised us”.
Who are the 7 jurors from Moldova who gave Romania only 3 points at Eurovision? Angry reactions on the Internet: “It looks like corruption!”
How one of the members explains the vote given
The jury of the Republic of Moldova was formed by seven members: Andrei Zapșa, Pavel Orlov, Stanislav Goncear, Cătălina Solomac, Corina Caireac, Ilona Stepan and Victoria Cușnir.
Victoria Cușnir explained in a post on Facebook that the jury evaluated the performances during the dress rehearsal, not in the live final, and the differences would have been significant:
“I am only responsible for my grades, but. Yes, for these voting discrepancies there are two solutions: either the jury is eliminated, or the jury votes for exactly the same performance that the audience sees. Because what happened the night before, would have explained many things. And believe me, there were enormous differences. Including Romania’s performance, which I gave, however, a very good grade. But I was not alone in the jury and for the grades of the others colleagues don’t answer. I repeat, yesterday, it was quite different. And I regret that these discrepancies appear year after year, when the jury saw/heard another one. the jury”.
Big differences between televote and jury
Republic of Moldova, for Romania:
12 points on televote
3 points from the jury
Total: 15 points
Romania, for the Republic of Moldova:
12 points on televote
10 points from the jury
Total: 22 points
Reactions from the public in both countries were intense, with many demanding an explanation for the discrepancies between the popular and jury votes.
The artist Irina Rimes, originally from the Republic of Moldova and one of the most appreciated voices of the Romanian music industry, reacted firmly. In a message published on Instagram on Sunday, the singer asked that the full list of Moldovan jurors be made public so that online hate is not directed at “an entire nation, who I’m sure voted otherwise. Moldova loves Romania!”.
