Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983

The selection consisted of three semi-finals, followed by the final on 19 March 1983. All the shows were hosted by Luc Appermont and took place at the Amerikaans Theater in Brussels.

Three semi-finals were held to select the nine songs for the Belgian final. Nine acts had been invited to participate, and each performed three songs with an expert jury choosing the best song from each act to go forward to the final. There was one semi-final each for male singers, female singers and groups.[1]

The national final was held on 19 March 1983 with nine songs competing. Voting was by an expert jury of eight members, who each ranked their top four songs and awarded them 10, 7, 5 and 1 point(s). Pas de Deux were the runaway winners, being placed first by six of the eight jury members[2] The audience in the theatre appeared to be rooting for a Bart Kaëll win, and as it became obvious midway through the voting that Pas de Deux were heading for a clear victory, pandemonium ensued, with each voting announcement being greeted with jeers, whistles and catcalls. Many walked out in disgust before the end of the transmission and Pas de Deux (who seemed to find the audience reaction amusing rather than upsetting) reprised their winning song to a half-empty house, having to compete against a chorus of jeers and booing.