Kristína to represent Slovakia!

After six quarter-finals and two semi-finals, it was finally time for the final of the Slovak national selection for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest tonight. In an entertaining show, presented by Martin "Pyco" Rausch with additional reports from the Green Room by Martin Kontur, the winner was decided through a combination of televoting and the verdict of an expert jury. The jury comprised Ľubica Čekovská, Ján Lehotský and Martin Sarvaš. As special guests of the show, Fabrizio Faniello and Claudia Faniello from Malta performed. This is the result of the final (in order of appearance, winner in bold):

• Kristína - Horehronie (1st place, 23 points)
  
• Free Voices - Z Osnov  (12th place, 4 points)
• Robo Opatovský - Niečo Máš  (10th place, 7 points)
• Martina Schindlerová - Môžeš Ísť  (8th place, 8 points)
• Aya - Do Neba Volám  (4th place, 17 points)
• Marián Bango - Ty Tu Ticho Spíš  (9th place, 7 points)
• Tomáš Bezdeda - Na Strechách Domov  (3rd place, 17 points)
• Mista - Emotions (2nd place, 23 points)
  
• Miro Jaroš - Bez Siedmeho Neba  (5th place, 16 points)
• Soňa - Skús Ma Viesť  (7th place, 13 points)
• Mayo - Tón  (11th place, 7 points)
• P. Remenár, Klára & Liquid Error - Figaro  (6th place, 14 points)

In fact, there was a tie for the first place, with Kristína and Mista both reaching 23 points. In the end, 22-year-old Kristína Peláková won due to a higher placing in the televote with her ethnic pop song Horehronie, the lyrics of which were written by the famous national poet Kamil Peteraj and praise a mountainous region of Slovakia. Kristína has already had several hit singles in Slovakia, and she released her first CD album ...Ešte Váham in 2008. Now she will have an opportunity to get known by a broader audience through her participation in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. She will appear in the first half of the First Semi-Final in Oslo, to take place on the 25th of May.