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Choose the Portuguese on Sunday 5 March their song for Kiev. That the broadcaster RTP has announced. The preliminary round is undergoing some major changes.

Portugal returns after a year absence back to the Eurovision song contest. The local Song Contest Festival da Cançãowas founded in 1964, will be popped up, though the concept changed. On Sunday 19 and 26 February find two semifinals place, with eight candidates. A number of to be determined for the final on Sunday March 5. According to the RTP in the semifinals seven regional juries determine the outcome, and have the final say in the final to win the Portuguese viewers.

A revolution in the preliminary round is that songs also in other languages than Portuguese may be submitted. Portugal is one of the few countries that traditionally have one entry in the national language to the Eurovision song contest, but that’s possible from next year sent over.

The names of the candidates come until next month, but the RTP does have all the sixteen composers (photo) released those songs for Festival da Canção going to write. It comes to Luísa Sobral, Márcia, Rita Redshoes, David Santos, Celina da Piedade, Samuel Úria, Nuno Gonçalves, Pedro Silva Martins, Tóli César Machado, João Pedro Coimbra, Nuno Figueiredo, Pedro Saraiva, Nuno Feist, Jorge Fernando, João Só Héber and Marques. They also get full autonomy in searching for a suitable artist to play their songs.

The Portuguese have the contest never can win. The sixth place from 1996 is still the best showing of the country as yet. In 2010, for the last spot in the final.

Photo: RTP