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Eurovision turns to direct democracy

Lovers of cheesy music can now have their say on who represents Switzerland in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place in May in Germany.

There are no fewer than 320 performances to choose from on the Swiss German television website and the lines will be open until November 10.

The candidates for the 2011 event in Düsseldorf are a mix of established singers and unknowns.

The 12 with the most votes will present their songs on December 11 in Kreuzlingen, northern Switzerland, at a show which will be broadcast by Swiss television.

Initiated by the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of Europe’s most popular annual music events. Switzerland has won only twice, most recently in 1988 when it was represented by Canada’s Céline Dion.

For the past four years, Swiss acts have failed to make it past the first round.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR