The decision is made after the national broadcaster failed to meet a deadline to pay millions of pounds in debts.
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| Ovidiu Anton was due to represent his country |
Romania has been expelled from the Eurovision Song Contest after its national broadcaster failed to pay debts of more than £11m.
Rocker Ovidiu Anton was due to perform the song Moment Of Silence in the second semi-final of the contest, which will take place in Sweden on 12 May.However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed the nation will now no longer be able to compete after Televiziunea Romana (TVR) failed to meet a 20 April repayment deadline.
It was the fifth time Anton had attempted to be chosen to represent Romania in the annual competition.
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| The band Voltaj performing in the final in Vienna last year |
At the news conference after the show where he was selected earlier this year, he said: "It's very important to fight for your dreams... It's not easy to lose (and this victory comes after many attempts) but this night has demonstrated that we must keep on trying."
A statement on the Eurovision website said: "The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Romana (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16 million.
"TVR will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest and will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News Exchanges, the right to broadcast specific sporting events, legal, technical and research expertise and lobbying services."
The EBU's director-general, Ingrid Deltenre, said it was "regrettable" that they had been forced to take such action.
"We are disappointed that all our attempts to resolve this matter have received no response from the Romanian government.
"In recent weeks the EBU has taken note of the Ministry of Finance's suggestion that TVR may be placed into insolvency proceedings which may in turn lead to a profound restructuring of the broadcaster," she said.
"The EBU is a not-for-profit association which represents 73 public service broadcasters in 56 countries. The continued indebtedness of TVR jeopardises the financial stability of the EBU itself."
Romania first competed in Eurovision in 1994, and it has come third twice since then. Its 2015 entry ended up in fifteenth place after making the final.
Swedish organisers of the contest said removing the act at such a late stage was "a little disruptive" but would not affect the event itself.
This year the United Kingdom is represented by Joe and Jake who will be singing You're Not Alone in Stockholm.
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