Krassimir Avramov, who on February 21 2009 won the contest to represent Bulgaria at the Eurovision final in Moscow this May, says that the attacks against him arise from the possibilities the vast Russian market provides for selling records.
 
Speaking on Bulgarian National Television (BNT), which organised the contest to choose Bulgaria’s Eurovision song, Avramov said he would not give up his place at the final in Moscow. "I am an ambassador for Bulgarian music and will not give up my victory," he said on February 24 2009.
 
"God decides who wins and who doesn’t. I want Bulgaria to remember the people who are attacking me right now. Bulgaria has voted for me and these people cannot accept the fact that my song is different and original.
 
"For these people, Russia is very important because it is a vast market. If the final was in Belgrade, probably they would not have raised their voices against me. It is a fight for the market."
 
The choice of Avramov and his song Illusion to represent Bulgaria at the Eurovision final in Moscow caused uproar in Bulgaria and led to people asking for Avramov to be disqualified.
 
As in previous years, conspiracy theories started suggesting that the voting had been fixed and that Avramov had hardly looked surprised when he heard his name announced as the winner.
 
The big gap between the winner and the second-ranked singer was one of the reasons why many questioned the objectivity of the voting procedure. He won 55.52 per cent of the vote, which was done through text messages, with runner-up Poli Genova getting 11.74 per cent.
 
Many popular Bulgaria musicians also expressed their frustration at the choice of Avramov, given his live performance on February 21 2009. Some asked him to step down rather than bring shame to Bulgaria in Moscow. An initiative committee in support of Genova asked BNT to send her instead of Avramov who, they said, had a "non-traditional sexual character".
 
BNT’s reaction to the row was to invite Avramov and anyone who has something to say about the issue to take part in a TV show on February 27 2009 when Avramov will be asked to perform his song. The company processing the result of the voting will also be invited to attend the show and answer all questions about how the voting took place. .
 
The TV show, however, will not change who represents Bulgaria at Eurovision, but is intended as a step to calm matters.