A YouTube prankster will represent Cyprus in the European Parliament

Fidias Panayiotou is known for his practical jokes, so his latest career move is either a shocking pivot or the biggest prank of all. Panayiotou, a 24-year-old creator with more than 2.6 million subscribers on his namesake YouTube channel, will represent his home country of Cyprus in the European Parliament.

Panayiotou is best known for elaborate stunts in which he attempts to get handshakes and hugs from as many famous people as possible. He also made the news last year when he dodged fares and bills on a “free” trip to Japan.

Evidently, the criticism Panayiotou received for that video did not dull his popularity among his Cypriot base. By his own admission, he ran for office to get young people engaged in politics and to stick it to the “nerds” in Brussels. But in spite of his lack of political experience, he earned a result he described as “a shock.” The “Fidias factor” contributed to a 14% uptick in voter turnout over the previous European Parliament election, and Panayiotou finished with the third-highest percentage of votes (19.4%).

“The parties should take it as a warning that they must modernize and listen to the people,” Panayiotou said in the wake of his surprising triumph. “We are writing history. Not just in Cyprus, but internationally.”

Panayiotou’s call for modernization within European Parliament reflects the adversarial nature of the body’s relationship with social platforms. The E.U. has threatened Big Tech companies with fines since the passing of the Digital Services Act in 2022. More recently, a sweeping E.U. law established regulations for AI usage across the continent.

It may seem silly to counter those regulations by electing a prankster, but the idea of influencers as politicians is no longer just a punchline at internet award shows. In the United States, firearms enthusiast Brandon Herrera — who is known online as “The AK Guy” — fell just short in his attempt to primary Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales.

It won’t be long before the U.S. gets its own shocking result to match the one in Cyprus, and even now, creators have become vital resources on the campaign trail. That’s why both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are eager to reach young voters on TikTok, even though they both attempted to ban the app during their respective presidencies.