(di Claudia Fascia) (ANSA) - ROMA, MAY 17 - Bulgaria with Dara and her catchphrase Bangaranga wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Dara - surprisingly and against eve's predictions - succeeded in the not easy feat of getting both the quality juries and the televote to agree. It is the country's first victory, whose best result so far was a second place in 2017. Italy has to settle for fifth place, despite the fact that Sal Da Vinci, winner of the last Sanremo Festival with Per Sempre Sì, is achieving unprecedented international success: with more than 60 million streams on digital platforms he is becoming one of the strongest Italian music phenomena of the moment in Europe. Also flying to Vienna to support the Italian singer was Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi, to strengthen institutional support for Italian music and encourage the internationalization of artists, while enhancing music tourism as an economic lever for the country. Disappointment also for the favored Finland (sixth), Australia (fourth) and Romania (third). Show as always spectacular in terms of sets, special effects (with the 'usual' fires, lights and explosions), excessive looks and performances beyond imagination. But the Eurovision Song Contest is increasingly split between singing event and political protest. For the third year in a row, calls for the exclusion of Israel -- which comes in second pushed by a massive televote in its favor -- over the conflict in Gaza have weighed on the competition, with five countries (Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia) defecting from the event in dissent. And as the 25 competing artists prepared to take the stage for the final night, a Pro-Pal procession with some 3,000 participants took to the streets of Vienna in the afternoon. A climate that to some extent also found its way inside the arena. Some booing was heard at the announcement of the performance of Israeli singer Noam Bettan, who - against the rules prohibiting political messages on stage - shouted "Am Yisrael Chai!" at the end of his performance, or "The People of Israel Live," a slogan expressing the strength of the Jewish nation. Contestation was even more evident during the awarding of the televote points that brought Noam to the podium. But there is another country that has long been bringing its demands to the Eurovision stage: Ukraine-as it has for the past four years-has renewed its "Slava Ukraini!" (Glory to Ukraine!) on the voice of singer Viktorija Leléka. The evening was opened by JJ, winner in 2025, with an aria from The Magic Flute, a tribute to home composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After the flag parade, the parade of all the competing artists with their flags, Denmark kicked off the challenge. Among the artists who, for better or worse, attracted attention were the Greek cat man Akylas who with Ferto sounds like something out of a 1980s video game and was among the eve's favorites, Sweden's Felicia who sported her glitter mask and singing My System set the Arena ablaze, which also rewarded the originality of Britain's Look Mum No Computer who came in last place with her bizarre Eins, Zwei, Drei, offered on stage as a faithful reproduction of the video clip. The audience also appreciated Moldovan Satoshi with the energetic Viva, Moldova! and Romanian Alexandra Căpitănescu with the song Choke Me. (ANSA).