Swedish singer Loreen has won the 2012 Eurovision song contest in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The 28-year-old pop singer won the final round of the annual competition with her song "Euphoria."
Days earlier she angered Azerbaijani authorities by meeting with local rights activists critical of the country's human rights record. Opposition activists have accused President Ilham Aliyev of stifling dissent and forcibly evicting people from their homes to build the stadium where the contest was held.
Loreen's win was the fifth victory by Sweden in the contest, following in the footsteps of the group Abba who won in 1974 with "Waterloo."
Second place in Saturday's competition went to Russia's Buranovskiye Babushki, a choir of eight grandmas (known as "babushkas") with an average age of 75, who wooed the crowd with their hit “Party for Everybody.”
As winner, Sweden will host the next Eurovision contest.
The 28-year-old pop singer won the final round of the annual competition with her song "Euphoria."
Days earlier she angered Azerbaijani authorities by meeting with local rights activists critical of the country's human rights record. Opposition activists have accused President Ilham Aliyev of stifling dissent and forcibly evicting people from their homes to build the stadium where the contest was held.
Loreen's win was the fifth victory by Sweden in the contest, following in the footsteps of the group Abba who won in 1974 with "Waterloo."
Second place in Saturday's competition went to Russia's Buranovskiye Babushki, a choir of eight grandmas (known as "babushkas") with an average age of 75, who wooed the crowd with their hit “Party for Everybody.”
As winner, Sweden will host the next Eurovision contest.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
