Cypriot social media star Fidias Panayiotou has confirmed he will retain his European Parliament seat despite also winning a seat in Cyprus's House of Representatives. The 26-year-old YouTuber and TikToker, who founded the Direct Democracy party just six months ago, told reporters on Monday that staying in the European Parliament would benefit his party.
Fidias, who goes by his first name, said: 'I'll stay in the European Parliament because it would be good for the Direct Democracy party to have a European Parliament member.' He added that while the party could have performed better, they were happy with the outcome, describing it as 'a small victory'.
Direct Democracy secured 5.4% of the vote in Sunday's parliamentary election, winning four seats in the 56-member House. Fidias, who received the most votes among his party's candidates, ceded his seat to runner-up Yiannis Laouris. The result fell short of Fidias's own expectations, given that nearly one in five voters backed him in the June 2024 European Parliament election, despite him not taking political positions or presenting a programme.
Fidias rose to fame through outrageous online stunts, including spending wads of cash in Vietnam, living in an airport for a week, and burying himself alive for ten days. His breakthrough came after he successfully pursued a hug from billionaire Elon Musk. He has acknowledged that his antics offered a way for disenchanted Cypriot voters to express frustrations with a political system perceived as corrupt.
Fidias has used social media to communicate his work in the European Parliament and address detractors who view his decision-making as politically immature. He has also sparked controversy for his perceived support for negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine and for questioning the International Criminal Court's findings on the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
