The Slovenian participant Sestre can not be sure yet about their appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest. For many Slovenians is was a shock that three travestites would represent their country.
The 'soap' already started during the EMA two weeks ago. The winner was chosen by two juries and a televoting procedure. The results of the five-minute televoting procedure did not appear as planned. When the results were finally announced, Karmen Stavec and her song 'More and more' had overwhelmingly won the televoting with 31.944 votes, while Sestre had received only 8,454 votes. When the votes from the jurors were added, Sestre appeared to be the winner and Stavec left the stage crying.
A press conference by RTV Slovenija a few days later could not clear the sky. There were several indications that the televoting lines were open three minutes too long. To stop the critics on RTVSLO and the winning performers, Mi�i Molk, editor-in-chief of TV Slovenija's entertainment department, announced that the televoting had been declared invalid. Sestre were declared the winners based on the jury votes. She pointed out that the rules for the contest stated that if a problem occurred with the voting, the decision of the jury would be used.
RTVSLO got under huge pressure, when a group of leading Slovenian singers, composers and record labels wrote a letter, stating they would never again appear at any event organised by the entertainment department of RTVSLO.
While the news about Sestre reached the international press and even CNN reported about it, Slovene People's Party deputy Franc Kangler asked the Slovenian culture ministry officials how they intended to improve the image of RTVSLO. The same day, the station's general manager, Aleks �takul, demanded an investigation.
The plan is to have a new televoting round, but these plans have to be accepted by the board of RTVSLO. This will be decided February 28, while Sestre avoided any press representatives and refused to give a statement.
