Basel voters are expected to decide on Sunday whether they should spend tens of millions of dollars to host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, with opponents decrying a "waste" of public funds for a "blasphemous" music performance.

If inhabitants in the northern Swiss region of Basel-Stadt block the 34.96 million Swiss francs ($60.78 million) needed to put on the annual TV extravaganza, "Eurovision will need to be scaled way back," 2025 edition communications lead Edi Estermann said.

He said the event, currently planned to last around 10 days with numerous public happenings around Basel, "would be reduced to a big TV show" on a single evening.

"And that would of course create far lower value for the city and for all of Switzerland."

Eurovision 2025 a 'true waste' of public money

Swiss singer Nemo's 2024 Eurovision victory in Malmo, Sweden, gave Switzerland the right to host next year's event. The city of Basel secured hosting duties after winning out over other Swiss cities in August.

But last month, the Christian fundamentalist Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) submitted the signatures needed to push through a referendum on whether to grant the funds approved by regional authorities for the show.

"The first argument is financial," EDU board member Philippe Karoubi said.

"This is a totally disproportionate public expenditure, a true waste."

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) media alliance, which owns Eurovision, finances the contest — but deems that given the financial benefits host cities typically reap, they should help to cover security costs especially.

EBU says Malmo has seen "a large number of international visitors coming to the city, spending generously while there" since this year's contest began in May.

Based on recent contests in Malmo and Liverpool, Basel hopes to make about 60 million Swiss francs ($104 million) from the event.

The problem was that public funds would be used while the financial benefits would mainly be pocketed by private actors, Mr Karoubi said.

Referendum introduced by party slamming 'blasphemic performances'

Besides the financial argument, he said EDU opposed financing a show that it believes has become "a vector of ideological provocations, which are clearly contrary to Western Judeo-Christian values".

He slammed "blasphemic performances", some verging on "the occult", decrying that this year's performance by Irish artist Bambie Thug as "almost a public form of Black Mass".

The competition, he charged, had also become "an international platform that has been completely instrumentalised to promote ideologies" promoting things like "wokism".

EDU has also decried how the contest increasingly finds itself mired in debate over international conflicts.

The party, which states on its website that it "stands unconditionally alongside the state of Israel as the fulfilment of biblical prophecies", has also expressed shock at the "true harassment" of Israeli contender Eden Golan in Malmo.

Mr Karoubi slammed the "anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations", insisting the hostility shown was "unacceptable and incompatible with the 'United by Music' spirit of the competition".

While some of EDU's statements may appear fringe, its financial arguments could gain traction among Swiss voters who typically like to keep a tight hold on the purse strings.

But if the credit is rejected, there is little room left to manoeuvre in time for the May 17, 2025, finale.

It could be moved to another Swiss city, Mr Estermann said.

But that "would have to be carefully considered", he said.

"Preparations are already well advanced in Basel."

AFP