A YouTuber experiences unexpected victory in the EU election.
Young YouTuber Fidias Panagiotou became known for interviewing politicians during last year's parliamentary elections in Cyprus. This year, the 24-year-old has managed to leap into the world of politics himself in the European elections, without the backing of a political party.
From blogger to EU Parliament: It appears that the travel-loving Fidias Panagiotou, a 24-year-old Cypriot, has managed to make the jump into European politics. With approximately 25% of the votes counted, he has already secured over 18% of the votes. While he came in third place, election experts predict that he will secure a seat in the EU Parliament due to this impressive share of the vote. His political stance remains a mystery, even after the election results are known.
The top two places were taken by the two established opponents in a close race: The conservative party DISY (Democratic Movement) had about 24% of the votes, while the communist party AKEL had 22.5%. The right-wing party ELAM (National Popular Front) with its anti-refugee stance is expected to have about 11.5% of the votes and will likely send one of the six Cypriot representatives to the EU Parliament for the first time. Their success can be attributed to the rising number of refugees on the island.
Fidias Panagiotou received attention despite his lack of seriousness, as he stated in his first interview, "It's a miracle - it's the first time in European elections that someone has made it into parliament without the support of parties, only with the help of internet followers."
Back in 2023, Panagiotou gained fame for interviewing candidates for Cyprus' parliamentary elections as a blogger. Election watchers believe that the sudden surge of support for the 24-year-old can be attributed to disgruntled voters in the country. There were reports of a higher turnout of voters compared to the previous EU elections.
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