The Belarusian dictator commented on the the results of "Eurovision".
Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Tuesday heaped praise on Eurovision contestant Alyona Lanskaya and alleged fraud in Russia's voting in the annual song contest.
Speaking to the 27-year-old singer who was present at his meeting with a group of gifted youths in Minsk, Lukashenka lauded her performance at the May 18 contest.
Commenting on the results of Eurovision voting in Russia, which gave Lanskaya zero points, Lukashenka said, "You can add at least 12 points to your tally. This proves not only how much the contest is politicized but also how much it is falsified," the government's news agency BelTA quoted him as saying.
He also referred to a scandal in Azerbaijan, which is believed to have given zero points to Russia despite singer Dina Garipova coming second in the local vote.
Lukashenka suggested that Belarus should take the results of Eurovision calmly. "I don't want to suspect the winner of anything or diminish her role. Indeed the girl from Denmark was very good and her show was great, but our girl was as much great," he said.
Belarus placed 16th among the 26 finalists in the Eurovision final, earning 48 points.
Lanskaya’s song Solayoh got points from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine.
The contest was won by Denmark, with "Only Treadrops" performed by 20-year-old Emmelie de Forest earning an impressive score of 281 points.
