fidias panayiotou — Social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou has decided to forego the seat in parliament that he won during Sunday’s election, opting instead to continue serving as a member of the European Parliament (MEP). This decision follows his notification to the interior ministry regarding his intentions.
Panayiotou’s parliamentary seat will be passed on to Yiannis Laouris, a neurophysiologist and the second most popular candidate from Direct Democracy Cyprus in the Nicosia district. This party, despite finishing in sixth place with 5.4 per cent of the vote, secured four seats nationally, amounting to 20,159 votes.
In contrast to this recent election, Panayiotou had previously made headlines during the 2024 European Parliament elections, where he garnered 71,330 votes, accounting for 19.4 per cent of the total. His performance then was remarkable as he became the first independent Cypriot candidate to win a seat in the European Parliament since Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004. Out of 720 MEPs elected across Europe, he was one of only five independents.
Now, with his decision to step back from national politics, Panayiotou will serve out the remainder of his term in Strasbourg. His term is set to expire in three years, with the next European Parliament elections scheduled between June 7 and June 10, 2029, and Cyprus voting on June 10.
