Danes should not be allowed to write the Eurovision Song Contest songs of other countries, says populist political party Dansk Folkeparti after three Danish songwriters had a song accepted into Latvia’s domestic qualifying competition for the pan-European song contest.

The song was turned down twice by public service broadcaster DR for Denmark’s domestic competition, but Morten Marinus, a DF spokesperson, said the song should never have been submitted to Latvia.

“I think sending contributions to other countries is treasonous,” Marinus told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “Okay, treason is a tough word. We’re not on the warpath. But I think Danish musicians have a moral duty to offer songs to Denmark first.”

Marinus also criticised Danish rock legend Sanne Salomonsen who helped Swedish group Higher Ground through to the finals of Sweden’s national qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005.

“She should have of course represented Denmark. She may have had a career in Sweden, so she has an attachment, but there are lots of other places she could perform in Sweden other than the song contest [qualifier].”

Marinus argued that songwriters should have to have a strong connection to the countries that they are submitting songs for.

“You shouldn’t necessarily have to be a citizen, but you have to understand the country’s musical culture. When everyone is writing for everyone, it stops being a competition between countries. It just becomes a competition between pop songs that all sound the same and could have come from anywhere.”