The very large losses of traditional political forces, the retreat in many cases until the disappearance of the political expression of the ecological movement and the rise of the extreme right composed the image of European elections. However, there were also several other phenomena per country produced by this year’s electoral dispute for the European Parliament, such as, for example, the unprecedented abstention in Greece or the elections, and in fact in the third place of electoral power in Cyprus, of a young YouTuber with apolitical characteristics. Phidias Panagiotou, 25, won one of Cyprus’ six seats in the European Parliament and celebrated it with a party in Eleftherias Square.
“Today’s event, ladies and gentlemen of the parties, I want you to consider it as a bell that rings to modernize, to remember that you serve the people and not your personal and party interests,” said Panagiotou when the result was announced. However, Phidias Panagiotou is not the first YouTuber to decide to convert views into votes. Other YouTubers around the world made the same effort.
The beginning was given by the Brazilian Kim Patroka Kataguiri who, at the age of 17, decided to become actively involved in politics by participating in the founding of the FBM (Movimento Brasil Livre) party, active on the center-right.
Patroka emerged as a leading executive with a channel in YouTube in which he created satirical videos. In October 2018, he was elected senator, rising to fourth place with the most votes in this election. He also helped the FBM channel go from zero subscribers to one million very quickly and then elected party members created their own personal YouTube channels.
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Yoshikazu Higashitani is known in Japan by his online pseudonym GaaSyy, under which he ran a YouTube channel where he talked about celebrity gossip.
Higashitani decided to try his luck in the elections and was elected to the Upper House of the Japanese parliament in July 2022. But, apparently, the Japanese YouTuber regretted it and therefore did not carry out his parliamentary duties, systematically absenting himself from meetings with you In fact, he initially does not respond about his attitude and later declares that he is absent abroad to participate in charitable and activist activities.
Thus, based on Japan’s parliamentary legislation, Higashitani was removed from parliament and it is characteristic that it is only the first dismissal of a member of parliament in Japan in the last 70 years and the third in total.
Niko Omilana, a British YouTuber who specializes in organizing and broadcasting pranks on his channel, decided to run in the 2021 London mayoral election. He came in fifth place and was first by a margin of independent candidates for the position.
Panayiotou’s election makes it almost certain that a YouTuber will participate in the next elections in Greece, either through a party that will accept him into its ranks or independently as an independent candidate.
Naftemporiki.gr