Swedish national broadcaster SVT amazed fans by airing its election exit poll in a thrilling, Melodifestivalen-style Eurovision voting format.

Screenshot: SVT

Sweden is undoubtedly a Eurovision empire. With seven victories, an iconic and widely watched national selection – Melodifestivalen, and an entire nation that lives and breathes pop and drama, it was only a matter of time before this passion leaked into the democratic process. Now, the election broadcast by the Swedish national broadcaster SVT, held on Sunday, has managed to amaze the world and go viral for a particularly amusing reason: it looked exactly like a Eurovision voting sequence, minus the musical performances.

“Sweden, We Have a Result!”

It began when Amanda Hellsten, a columnist for the Swedish newspaper “Svenska Dagbladet,” pointed out that SVT’s election broadcast suspiciously resembled the local Eurovision selection. Johan Croneman from the newspaper “DN” agreed with her, revealing that within the very first hour of the broadcast, he was flooded with messages from viewers asking: “Are we watching Melodifestivalen?” The local entertainment outlet “Expressen” concluded that SVT’s election broadcast became an international talking point, after presenting the exit poll results with Melodifestivalen vibes and true Eurovision-style drama.

And with good reason. Instead of a dry news report, viewers were treated to television drama in the finest Eurovision tradition: fast-paced suspense music, ticking percentage bars, dramatic camera angles, and split screens showing political party leaders’ real-time reactions to the exit poll results – exactly like in a Eurovision Green Room.

Eurovision Fans Go Crazy Online

On social media, and especially within the international Eurovision fan community, people were captivated by the spectacle:

• “The Swedish exit poll (VALU) is the best thing on this planet, I’m crying,” wrote a user on X.

• “I will forever be obsessed with how Swedish public service TV presents the exit poll as if the candidates were competing in Eurovision,” another user added.

• “This is Sweden. A country that loves Eurovision so much that of course they turn their election day into a ‘douze points’ voting sequence.”

Alongside the studio drama, the party headquarters celebrations looked like a classic Eurovision afterparty: alcohol flowed freely, fireworks and glitter filled the air, pride flags waved, and people were lifted onto shoulders. Watch the clip from the reveal of the Swedish election exit poll results.

Will the Swedish Format Go Global?

It seems the Swedish obsession is starting to catch on in other countries. Ahead of Australia’s upcoming election in 2028, an Australian social media user is already calling for the show to be adopted: “Love this Eurovision-style split screen and the whole exit poll party they’ve got going in Sweden. Definitely want something like this here!”

When it comes to the country that brought us ABBA, Carola, and above all – the most polished productions in the history of the contest, there is clearly no reason to settle for anything less than a glamorous show, even when it comes to the future of the nation.

Sweden at Eurovision 2026

“My System” is the song that was performed by the singer Felicia, which represented Sweden in the Eurovision Grand Final on May 16th, in Vienna, Austria, and came in 20th place. The song was written by Felicia Eriksson herself, together with Audun Agnar, Emily Harbakk, Julie Bergan and Theresa Rex. This is the first Eurovision entry by all songwriters. The song was performed entirely in English.

Eurovision 2026: This was Sweden’s 65th appearance in the competition. Sweden joined Eurovision in 1958 and has won the contest seven times over the years. The country’s most recent victory came in 2023, when Loreen won with the song “Tattoo”.