Youtuber and prankster secures a place in European Parliament elections

Fidias Panayiotou is a 24-year-old YouTuber from Cyprus. He is famous for numerous pranks, which don't always go smoothly. Some time ago, he had to explain one of his antics seriously. The influencer posted a video documenting his trip to Japan. He tried to avoid paying for train tickets and breakfast at a five-star hotel. The scandal didn't stop him from continuing to create content. His videos achieve viral reach.

Fidias Panayiotou openly admits that he is a person who "professionally makes mistakes." He has no clue about politics. This January, he participated in elections for the first time. He also gave an interview to the local television station Alpha Cyprus. There, he revealed that he had never voted before but was tired of the "nerds" ruling in Brussels. His outfit perfectly complemented his appearance—sneakers, shorts, a blazer, and three ties around his neck.

Despite his ignorance, Fidias decided to run for the EU Parliament. This April, he declared his candidacy. The YouTuber maintained that his goal was not to win a seat but to motivate young people to participate in politics. Ultimately, the influencer pranked himself.

About 900,000 people live in Cyprus. In the European Parliament elections, approximately 683,000 people participated. The turnout was just below 59 percent, up from 45 percent in the 2019 elections. Analysts note that this is partially thanks to the YouTuber. Panayiotou finished third in the number of votes cast for him. As many as 19.4 percent of the country's residents decided to put an "x" next to his name. As a result, the man became a Member of the European Parliament.