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Basel (pictured) residents have voted for the Swiss city to use taxpayers' money to aid the hosting of 2025’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The result showed 66.6% of voters agreed with putting taxpayers’ money into staging the show, and the turnout was 57%, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Swiss singer Nemo won the 2024 edition of Eurovision, giving Switzerland the right to host next year’s contest.
Basel was selected as the host city, but the Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) party gained enough support in the form of signatures to secure a referendum on whether the 34.96m Swiss francs (£31m/€37m/$39m) should be granted.
Eurovision is a non-profit event that is mostly financed by contributions from participating public-service broadcasters, but host cities also back the competition.
The 69th edition of Eurovision will take place at the St. Jakobshalle indoor arena, with the semi-finals scheduled for May 13 and 15, with the final set for May 17.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Malmö’s staging of Eurovision 2024 brought in €32m for the Swedish city.
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