[imagesource:fidiaspanayiotou/facebook]

If you think the South African electorate needs some introspection and political education, take comfort in the fact that the European Parliament also has to deal with elected jokers.

Fidias Panayiotou, who describes himself as a “professional mistake maker”, has been elected as an independent MEP to the European Parliament.

Panayiotou is famous for his online pranks including trying to hug 100 celebrities, spending a week in a coffin, and travelling across Japan whilst dodging fares by hiding in toilettes and feigning illness.

The dodging fares and feigning illness may sound like a true politician, but the YouTuber has no political experience, with his 2.6 million subscribers seemingly responsible for garnering him the third-largest number of votes.

“It was a shock what happened, a miracle,” Panayiotou told Cyprus media after his win. “The parties should take it as a warning that they must modernise and listen to the people.”

On Sunday, he celebrated his win with a gathering at Eleftheria Square in the island’s capital Nicosia, where he said: “We are writing history. Not just in Cyprus, but internationally.”

According to Politico, Mr Panayiotou declared in January he would run in the polls. Appearing on Cypriot TV, Alpha Cyprus – where he wore trainers, shorts, a suit jacket and three neckties – he admitted that he had never voted and knew little about politics and the EU, but that he could no longer stand the continued rule of “nerds” in Brussels.

Panayiotou admitted his candidacy was never serious, but that he wanted to motivate young people to get involved in politics. Cyprus has a population of about 900,000, of whom more than 683,000 were registered to vote in the weekend’s polls.

Turnout in Cyprus was at just under 59% – up from 45% in the 2019 elections, with analysts attributing the rise in part to the “Fidias factor”. Six Cypriot MEPs were elected to the EU Parliament.

Elections experts say that Panayiotou’s election came about as a result of the “personalisation of politics” and the “strengthening of the role of a political leader in a party at the expense of the party base.

“Here, we are dealing with a purely personal phenomenon, without a party attached. This is a step further, it is an innovative element, we have not seen it before. It is entirely person-centred.”

Voting for a person with a vision is one thing, but electing a prankster who calls himself a “professional mistake maker” is entirely different. It seems to be a trend all across the world.

Perhaps Cyprus and the EU deserve the ‘innovative element’ that is Panayiotou. After all, this is the man who married a stranger after 24 hours, ran a marathon barefoot in the snow, survived 100 days buried alive, stood on a brick for 24 hours, and forced Elon Musk to hug him.

Considering some of the degenerates we have in politics today, Panayiotou is eminently qualified.

[source:bbc]