Did Azerbaijan “bribe” Belarus and Lithuania to vote at “Eurovision”?
Strangers paid Belarusian students so that they would vote for Azerbaijan and even transported them to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in buses. ERB has calculated that the action cost about 55 million roubles. ERB has got to know about the strange action organized by unknown people during the “Eurovision” voting. 10 buses were rented in different Minsk auto parks. Belarusian students in the buses were delivered towards the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in the direction of Pastavy. The passengers voted for Azerbaijan with the help of Belarusian SIM cards and then received Lithuanian cards to do it once more.
ERB has decided to check this information taking into account the number of points Azerbaijani Aisel and Arash with their song “Always” scored with the help of Belarus (10) and Lithuania (5). Azerbaijan was even ahead of Russia in Belarus! In fact, the third place of Aisel and Arash at “Eurovision” was a sensation. Just imagine it, but for Rybak, every country’s point would have been important to choose the winner.
The head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Belarus, the “Gabustan” association Natsik Bahirau says that he does not know anything about the action.
Natsik Bahirau: “I would like to know who informed you about the rented buses and the trip to the border. The diaspora did not organize it. I control everything done by the diaspora. Nobody rented a lot of buses to go to the border. I should have done it myself or my assistants should have done it. But we didn’t”.
The fact that the contenders received such a high score from Belarus at “Eurovision” and took the third place can be explained by the quality of the performance and the song.
Natsik Bahirau: “The third place is not only the result of voting of the Belarusian and Lithuanian diaspora. The whole world probably voted for them, the whole Europe”.
A member of the Belarusian “Eurovision” jury Syarhei Malinouski doubts that the trip to the Belarusian border really took place.
Syarhei Malіnouskі: “I do not believe it. I did not hear anything about it and it seems to be a stupid rumour. I cannot imagine who could be interested in it except for the Azerbaijani diaspora. However, I do not think that our diaspora has the money to organize such a mass voting. Furthermore, many people from other countries voted for Azerbaijan”.
The jury member says that the Azerbaijani performance was worth voting for.
Syarhei Malіnouskі: “It was a very good performance. Besides the Azerbaijani singer (by the way, she is not Azerbaijani as she grew up in Europe) there was Arash who is loved and known by the public. “Eurovision” is a contest that pays attention to singers’ talent rather than the countries they come from. The performance was good and the song was easy to remember. The girl is very petty which is also important”.
Nevertheless, Euroradio phoned Minsk auto parks. They refused to give official comments about it. However, they confirmed it all unofficially. Buses were ordered in different parks – two or three busses in a park. They all headed for Pastavy. They spend about 20 minutes there and returned to Minsk.
Drivers informed that every participant of “the motor race” received 100 thousand roubles before their very eyes. Moreover, renting a buss from Minsk to Pastavy costs one million roubles.
ERB has counted that the rent of 10 buses cost 10 millions. If there were 45 people in every bus, the sum of their reward was 45 millions. It makes 55 million roubles. At the same time, Azerbaijan got 450 votes in both countries!
Interestingly, the drivers confessed that there was nothing strange about the trip. According to them, it happens during every “Eurovision” but the states organizing such trips are different.
ERB has decided to check this information taking into account the number of points Azerbaijani Aisel and Arash with their song “Always” scored with the help of Belarus (10) and Lithuania (5). Azerbaijan was even ahead of Russia in Belarus! In fact, the third place of Aisel and Arash at “Eurovision” was a sensation. Just imagine it, but for Rybak, every country’s point would have been important to choose the winner.
The head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Belarus, the “Gabustan” association Natsik Bahirau says that he does not know anything about the action.
Natsik Bahirau: “I would like to know who informed you about the rented buses and the trip to the border. The diaspora did not organize it. I control everything done by the diaspora. Nobody rented a lot of buses to go to the border. I should have done it myself or my assistants should have done it. But we didn’t”.
The fact that the contenders received such a high score from Belarus at “Eurovision” and took the third place can be explained by the quality of the performance and the song.
Natsik Bahirau: “The third place is not only the result of voting of the Belarusian and Lithuanian diaspora. The whole world probably voted for them, the whole Europe”.
A member of the Belarusian “Eurovision” jury Syarhei Malinouski doubts that the trip to the Belarusian border really took place.
Syarhei Malіnouskі: “I do not believe it. I did not hear anything about it and it seems to be a stupid rumour. I cannot imagine who could be interested in it except for the Azerbaijani diaspora. However, I do not think that our diaspora has the money to organize such a mass voting. Furthermore, many people from other countries voted for Azerbaijan”.
The jury member says that the Azerbaijani performance was worth voting for.
Syarhei Malіnouskі: “It was a very good performance. Besides the Azerbaijani singer (by the way, she is not Azerbaijani as she grew up in Europe) there was Arash who is loved and known by the public. “Eurovision” is a contest that pays attention to singers’ talent rather than the countries they come from. The performance was good and the song was easy to remember. The girl is very petty which is also important”.
Nevertheless, Euroradio phoned Minsk auto parks. They refused to give official comments about it. However, they confirmed it all unofficially. Buses were ordered in different parks – two or three busses in a park. They all headed for Pastavy. They spend about 20 minutes there and returned to Minsk.
Drivers informed that every participant of “the motor race” received 100 thousand roubles before their very eyes. Moreover, renting a buss from Minsk to Pastavy costs one million roubles.
ERB has counted that the rent of 10 buses cost 10 millions. If there were 45 people in every bus, the sum of their reward was 45 millions. It makes 55 million roubles. At the same time, Azerbaijan got 450 votes in both countries!
Interestingly, the drivers confessed that there was nothing strange about the trip. According to them, it happens during every “Eurovision” but the states organizing such trips are different.
