Cyprus is set to elect three new and three incumbent Members of the European Parliament in Sunday’s elections, with a 24-year-old social media influencer, a former minister and a far-right party spokesperson among the newcomers headed to Brussels and Strasbourg.
With more than 3/4 of the votes tallied, the Democratic Rally (DISY) saw incumbent Loucas Fourlas re-elected along with former health minister Michalis Hadjipantelas winning the second party seat.
Left-wing opposition Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL) lost one of its two seats and will send incumbent Giorgos Georgiou back to the European Parliament.
Centre-right Democratic Party (DIKO) saw Costas Mavrides elected for another term.
However, the night’s biggest surprise was independent candidate Fidias Panagiotou, who will become one of the new Cypriot MEPs.
Geadis Geadi, spokesperson for the far-right ELAM party, also secured a seat.
The new Cypriot MEPs will take their seats in the 705-seat EU assembly for a five-year term following the June 9 polls across the 27-nation bloc.
The final voter turnout reached 50.5% of the total registered voters.
Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 2004. The European Parliament is the only EU institution that is directly elected.
