Fidias Panayiotou, a well-known YouTuber from Cyprus, has made a surprising leap into politics by winning a seat as an independent Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Known for his self-proclaimed title as a “professional mistake maker”, Panayiotou’s online antics have included audacious attempts to embrace 100 celebrities, Elon Musk among them, and a week-long stint in a coffin.
Despite his lack of political background, the 24-year-old influencer, who boasts a following of over 2.6 million subscribers, managed to secure the third-highest vote count, capturing 19.4% of the votes.
Panayiotou expressed his astonishment at the unexpected outcome, describing it as a “miracle”. He urged political parties to view his victory as a wake-up call to modernise and be more attuned to the voice of the people during an interview with state broadcaster CyBC.
Panayiotou had previously stirred controversy in Japan with a YouTube video where he evaded train fares and a hotel breakfast bill. The video, which accumulated millions of views, featured him traversing Japan on its renowned bullet train, avoiding fares by hiding in restrooms and pretending to be sick.
However, he marked his electoral victory with a celebration at Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. He proclaimed, “We are writing history. Not just in Cyprus, but internationally.”
Earlier in the year, Panayiotou had announced his intention to run in the elections, according to Politico. During an appearance on Alpha Cyprus, a Cypriot TV station, he confessed to never having voted before, having limited knowledge about politics and the EU, and being fed up with the continued governance by “nerds” in Brussels.
When he filed his candidacy in April, Panayiotou candidly admitted that his aim was not so much to win the election, but rather to inspire the younger generation to participate in politics.
