Nicosia, Cyprus. Former European commissioner Androulla Vassiliou on Tuesday accused social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou of dishonesty after he decided not to take the parliamentary seat to which he had been elected on Sunday.
Seat transferred to Yiannis Laouris
Vassiliou said she considered the decision dishonest toward those who voted for Panayiotou. Panayiotou instead chose to serve out the remainder of his term as a member of the European Parliament.
His seat has been transferred to neurophysiologist Yiannis Laouris, who was declared an MP alongside Panayiotou’s party Direct Democracy Cyprus’ other three MPs — Demetris Baros, Diana Constantinide and Demetris Souglis — at the official ceremony at the Nicosia municipal theatre on Monday.
Election results
Direct Democracy Cyprus finished in sixth place on Sunday, winning 5.4 per cent of the vote, or 20,159 votes, and securing four seats nationwide.
The result, while notable for a party contesting its first election, fell well short of the outcome Panayiotou achieved in the 2024 European Parliament elections, when he won 71,330 votes, or 19.4 per cent, and finished behind only Disy and Akel.
He was the first independent Cypriot candidate to win a seat in the European Parliament since Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, and one of only five independents among the 720 MEPs elected across Europe in 2024.
