Fidias Panayiotou retains his seat in the European Parliament

Fidias Panayiotou, leader of the Direct Democracy party, has officially announced his decision to remain a Member of the European Parliament rather than take up his seat in the Cypriot House of Representatives. His party successfully secured four seats in the recent parliamentary elections, winning one seat each in the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos. Panayiotou, who won a seat in Nicosia with 5,108 votes, notified the Interior Ministry and the Chief Returning Officer of his decision to renounce his national parliamentary mandate. Consequently, his seat in Nicosia will be occupied by the next candidate on the party list, Yiannis Laouris, who received 1,700 votes. Panayiotou stated that his decision serves the interests of having the party represented in both institutions. He also addressed criticism regarding communication with the media during the election night, attributing the difficulties to the party's lack of an organized political headquarters. The party is currently discussing its internal strategy and potential roles in parliamentary committees.