It might sound like the beginning of a joke, but the answer is surprising. First article in a special series: How has Eurovision influenced dramatic political events?

Nice to meet you, I’m Tal. As a student of communications and political science, the connection between politics and the Eurovision Song Contest has always intrigued me. And I know what you’re thinking – politics? Haven’t we had enough of it after Eurovision 2024? But wait, this is going to be much more entertaining than it sounds!

Yugoslavia’s Disintegration and Eurovision

So here’s the story: Yugoslavia, which itself participated in Eurovision as a united country in the Balkans, disintegrated in the early 90s due to wars and political conflicts. Eventually, only two countries remained in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – Serbia and Montenegro. They held on together a bit longer than the rest, but then Eurovision came and… boom!

Serbia and Montenegro participated in Eurovision as a united country only twice. The first time was in 2004 when they reached the respectable second place with the song “Lane moje” (in English: “My Sweetheart”) performed by Željko Joksimović, and a year later the country was represented by the band No Name with the song “Zauvijek moja” (in English: “Forever Mine”), with which they reached seventh place. Joksimović was sent by the Serbian broadcaster and No Name was chosen by Montenegro’s broadcaster (you’ll soon understand how this relates to the breakup).

The 2006 Eurovision Drama

Then came 2006, and this is when everything exploded. Serbia and Montenegro decided to participate in Eurovision again, but here’s where the real story begins. The united country held a preselection contest with half of its songs Serbian and half Montenegrin (and so was the judging panel). The Montenegrin broadcaster (RTCG), in peak patriotism but also unfairness, voted only for songs sent on behalf of Montenegro! This ultimately led to the No Name band being chosen for Eurovision again, this time with the song “Moja ljubavi” (in English: “My Love”).

The Serbian audience present at the arena raged and shouted at the winning band, and the broadcasters of Serbia and Montenegro failed to reach agreements. Eventually, Serbia and Montenegro withdrew from Eurovision in March of that year, but Serbia took part in the voting in the Eurovision final and the semi-final was broadcast only in Serbia.

Eurovision Exposes Deep Divisions

So how is all this related to the country’s disintegration? Eurovision exposed how deep the rift between Serbia and Montenegro was, and in that same year, Montenegro held a referendum on independence, in which the majority of voters supported Montenegro’s independence from Serbia. Following the results of the referendum, Montenegro declared its independence on June 4th, and a day later Serbia also declared its independence. Eurovision became one of the cultural expressions that symbolized the rifts that ultimately led to the dissolution of the union between the countries.

Post-Breakup Eurovision Success

And if that’s not enough, in 2007 Serbia won Eurovision as an independent country with the song “Molitva” (in English: “Prayer”) by Marija Šerifović. Montenegro, on the other hand, has been less successful in Eurovision as an independent country. Its peak position in the contest so far has been 13th place, with only two qualifications to the final (out of 12 participations).

Serbia in Eurovision 2024

Eurovision 2025: This will be Serbia’s 17th participation in Eurovision. Serbia joined the contest in 2007 and achieved its best result in the same year when singer Marija Šerifović won first place with the song “Molitva”.