TikTok and YouTube star Fidias Panayiotou will keep his seat in the European Parliament despite his anti-establishment Direct Democracy party winning four seats in Cyprus’ parliamentary elections.
Panayiotou, better known by his screen name Fidias, came to fame for his adoration of Elon Musk and attempts to ride trains in Japan without a ticket. He first won a mandate in the European Parliament in 2024.
With his millions of followers across multiple platforms, his social media reach far exceeds his home country’s 700,000 residents.
In Brussels, the Cypriot politician is best known for what critics say is a pro-Russian stance following the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Fidias visited Moscow during the 2025 victory parade on 8 May.
He has now catalysed his anti-establishment voter base into a new direct democracy movement for domestic politics, which won 5.4% of votes in Sunday’s national election in Cyprus, granting them four seats in parliament.
Fidias,…
