After opponents on Saturday produced enough signatures to put the matter to a vote, Basel, in northern Switzerland, is scheduled to hold a referendum on the millions needed to host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest next month.
With a massive worldwide audience assured, Switzerland was granted the right to host the event the following year after Swiss singer Nemo won the 2024 Eurovision contest.
Basel outbid a number of major Swiss cities to host the glamorous annual TV spectacular in August, but the high cost has drawn criticism.
The prospective expenses and inconvenience of bringing the Eurovision circus to their city infuriated several Swiss voters, who are accustomed to having a direct say in how their taxes are spent.
The tiny, Christian fundamentalist, ultra-conservative Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) declared in September that it intended to hold a referendum opposing paying the tens of millions required to produce the event.
Additionally, according to Swiss media, it arrived at Basel City Hall on Saturday with 4,203 signatures and a demand for a vote against granting the necessary 37.5 million Swiss franc ($43.3 million) loan.
In Basel-Stadt Canton, that was more than twice as many signatures needed to pass a referendum.
The matter is now anticipated to be put to a vote on November 24, the next national day of voting under Switzerland’s renowned direct democratic system, although the regional authority still needs to confirm the signatures due to the large amount.
According to reports, EDU has previously raised worries that Eurovision promotes “the occult” and referred to the competition as a “propaganda platform for homosexuals.”
Daniel Frischknecht, the president of EDU, stated at the event on Saturday that the area might find much better ways to spend its funds, according to the Keystone-ATS news agency.
The party stated that Eurovision was promoting a political philosophy, but insisted that it had nothing against music or the performers’ sexual orientation.
Frischknecht mentioned the Israeli participant’s anti-Semitic threats and Irish performer Bambie Thug’s “Satanist” performance at the 2024 edition, which took place in May in Malmo, Sweden.
Since the regional parliament last month passed the Eurovision budget with a resounding majority, the EDU is unlikely to receive much backing from other Basel political parties.
