The Eurovision 2014 winner, Conchita Wurst, and the current voting system are the main reasons behind Turkey’s five-year absence in the Eurovision song contest, Ahval news reports, citing Turkey’s state-run TRT television general director.
Conchita, the stage persona of Austrian singer, recording artist and drag queen Thomas Neuwirth, shot to fame after winning the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest performing in drag.
TRT’s Ibrahim Eren made the statement while speaking at İstanbul’s Ibn Khaldun University on Saturday when asked if the broadcaster would ever consider participating the song contest again, NTV news reported.
“We aren’t considering rejoining the contest. We have reasons like the voting system. As a public broadcaster, we also cannot broadcast live at 9 p.m. – when children are still awake – someone like the bearded Austrian who wore a skirt, does not believe in genders and says that he is both a man and a woman,” Eren said, adding:
“I have told the European Broadcasting Union on the Eurovision issue that they deviated from their values. As a result of this, we have seen other countries follow suit and also boycott the contest. There is a mental chaos at the EBU because of its executives. If they can fix it, we can definitely join Eurovision again.”
Turkey has participated in the contest a total of 34 times, scoring its first and only victory with ”Every Way That I Can,” performed by seasoned vocalist Sertab Erener in 2003.