The Swiss are on a roll! Switzerland has been crowned the winner of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, with their entry, “The Code†by Nemo, beating out 25 countries in the finals on Saturday, May 11. Switzerland quickly became the frontrunner as the national jury vote came in, during which each country casts their twelve votes for another competitor — but there was still the audience vote left to factor in. As those votes were slowly, dramatically revealed, it came down to Croatia and Switzerland, with the latter ultimately earning enough audience votes to regain their lead and win the competition. “I want to say thank you so much, I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world,†Nemo said after the victory.
In total Switzerland earned 591 votes, with Croatia in second place with 547, and Ukraine in third with 453. The competition thinned out slightly earlier in the day when the Netherlands was disqualified for an “allegation of intimidation†against their singer Joost Klein. That disqualification, paired with the controversy surrounding Israel’s participation as the country continues to wage war in Gaza, made for an eventful song contest. As the winner, Switzerland now becomes the host for next year’s competition.