Phidias enters Nicosia’s Freedom Square running as if he had scored a goal. In white shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt, he climbs onto a bench and begins to jump while the crowd cheers him on: “Phidias, Phidias!” And he, really surprised and grateful, exclaims: “I can’t believe it… I’m an MEP!”
He is certainly the name of the moment, the young man who has shaken the fabric of Cypriot politics. Fidias Panayiotou, 24 years old and youtuber professional, he attended the European elections as an independent candidate, with very few appearances in the traditional media, with hardly any public events; Even so, he has managed to win the MEP record after receiving almost 20% of the votes, close to challenging the second most voted party, the Eurocommunist AKEL, for the position. Even more, according to exit polls, he was the most voted candidate among young people: 39.5% of voters between 18 and 24 years old – that is, those who voted for the first time – opted for him and 27.5% in the age group between 25 and 34 years.
The son of an Orthodox priest in a large family, Fidias began publishing videos on YouTube in 2019, later on TikTok and Instagram. On YouTube alone he has 2.62 million subscribers, twice the population of the Republic of Cyprus. They are basically entertainment videos with a comedic touch: “I spent 100 hours inside a hamster ball”, “I lived seven days in an airport without spending money”, “I traveled the world without money” – for this episode he had problems in Japan and India after sneaking onto public transportation without paying. But one of his greatest successes was when, for weeks, he did not stop harassing Elon Musk – and ordering his followers to do the same – until he got a hug from the billionaire owner of X and Tesla.
Of course, in all these videos a rhetoric of self-improvement, of “if you want, you can” and the individualistic aspiration so typical of these social networks transcends. “I voted for him because he inspires me and, like me, he has inspired many people. He has many qualities and can achieve whatever he sets his mind to. Setting a goal and working for it, like when he decided to be an MEP six months ago,” explains Anastasis, a young voter.
“We have many messages to give. When all those commentators found out the results, they were scared, because they know that things are going to change. Now they are going to have to listen to the people,” he told his followers at the party held in Plaza de la Libertad after his election in a purely populist style. Asked by Morning Express in the middle of the celebration, he said: “This election is good news for democracy, for a more direct democracy, a new democracy.” And he refused to answer any more questions because his followers required him to ask. selfies.
In his speeches he has advocated for greater democratic participation through social networks and has argued that his election without the support of any political party is a milestone in world history, even though there are many others who have claimed and achieved it before. that he.
Join Morning Express to follow all the news and read without limits.
Subscribe
Little ideological clarity
Of course, it is very difficult to place him politically: environmentalists tried to sign him to their lists, but, after putting the issue to a vote among his followers, he rejected the offer. Among those celebrating their victory on Sunday night, there was one raising a flag with the motto: “Victory or death. Or with him [escudo] or about him”, a slogan used by Greek ultranationalists. There was also another who demanded that he sing the national anthem: Phidias looked at him and then completely ignored him. He himself, who has no higher education, has admitted that he has no idea about European politics, but he has shown himself willing to study it and strive to “be the best MEP in history.” The analyzes of the Cypriot press considered this Monday that the majority of the vote received by Fidias comes from young people who, otherwise, would have abstained or who could have voted for the extreme right as a gesture of protest in an atmosphere highly charged by the speech. anti-immigration.
“He is an intelligent kid and has good intentions,” explains a businessman and civil society activist who is very involved in the dialogue for the reunification of Cyprus and who has shared a political advisor with the new MEP. He has met with him in the coming weeks to give him ideas on the Cyprus issue and the dialogue between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island: “I believe that, if he does not take the wrong direction, he can be very positive and set the agenda for young people and technological issues in the foreground.”
Among those celebrating their victory in Plaza de la Libertad there were many young people, almost teenagers, of different profiles, but all of them tired of a system that does not take them into account, of parties that do not speak their same language. “We voted for him because he is young and we believe in him. We’ve been seeing the same shit for years from the usual old guys, from the big names of DISY [el partido conservador ganador de los comicios europeos] and AKEL. “Why not give someone new a chance?” say Yanis and Panayiota, a 20-year-old couple. And do you think Phidias can achieve something in the European Parliament? To which Yanis responds: “And what have the big names in politics achieved for us?” [chipriota] until now?”.
.
.
_
