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Eurovision Vote Controversy

05/22/2013
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(Radio.com) When Denmark's Emmelie de Forest walked off the stage as winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden on May 18 (with her song "Only Teardrops"), there wasn't a hint of scandal in the air.

After all, Europe's Eurovision Song Contest was launched 58 years ago as a way to strengthen diplomatic relations between members of the European Broadcasting Union. The competition boasts an impressive roster of past contestants, including Celine Dion, Olivia Newton John, ABBA, Englebert Humperdinct and Katrina and the Waves.

However, it seems this year's competition may have done more harm than good for relations between Russia and its neighbor, Azerbaijan, so much so that the two country's governments are holding press conferences to discuss growing Eurovision controversy.

Azerbaijan has come under scrutiny for admitting that the votes submitted for Russian contestant Dina Garipova had been omitted from Azerbaijan's final tally of points.

When Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov read the list of votes submitted via cell phone for the contest, Russia was listed in second place behind Ukraine, meaning that Azerbaijan's Northern neighbor should have received 10 points.

But in the final rundown of the contest, Russia received none, something Mammadyarov calls a "detective mystery." Now the question remains: where did the votes go? more.

Radio.com is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright Radio.com/CBS Local - Excerpted here with permission.

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