I mentioned in my previous note that Croatia is in an advantageous position in the ESC, due to its location in a so-called “Balkan Voting Bloc”. That sounds like a half-decent segue to get more into this topic!
As the Eurovision Song Contest has grown and expanded over the years, going from seven nations participating in 1956 to 42 in the 2009 contest, unofficial “alliances” have been established between nations, often due to shared linguistic, cultural, or geographical histories. For example, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland will often swap votes with each other, as do the nations of the former Soviet Union or Yugoslavia. More recently, current patterns of immigration have begun to influence expected voting patterns, with Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France often sending votes to Turkey or Armenia, or Spain and Portugal voting for Romania or Moldova. Read the rest of this entry →
The ESC Insider 
A Note on "Bloc Voting"
Apr 14
Posted by Samantha Ross
As the Eurovision Song Contest has grown and expanded over the years, going from seven nations participating in 1956 to 42 in the 2009 contest, unofficial “alliances” have been established between nations, often due to shared linguistic, cultural, or geographical histories. For example, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland will often swap votes with each other, as do the nations of the former Soviet Union or Yugoslavia. More recently, current patterns of immigration have begun to influence expected voting patterns, with Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France often sending votes to Turkey or Armenia, or Spain and Portugal voting for Romania or Moldova. Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in Israel, Malta, Norway, Special Comment
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