Direct Democracy Cyprus secured entry into the new House of Representatives on Sunday, with party president Fidias Panayiotou hailing the result as the “birth” of a new political era in Cyprus.
In his first statement after the results were announced, Panayiotou thanked citizens who supported the party and those who worked for its electoral success. “Direct Democracy Cyprus is officially in parliament,” he said. “Life for Direct Democracy has now begun and we must prove our worth to the Cypriot people. We promise to work to make Cyprus better.”
Panayiotou said citizens appear to want new political formations in parliament, though he expressed surprise at the vote shares secured by the larger parties. He left open the possibility of remaining in the European Parliament, saying he would decide in the coming period whether to take up his seat in the Cypriot parliament or continue his presence in the European Parliament.
The result caps a remarkable rise for the 26-year-old, who first shocked Cyprus’s political establishment in 2024 when he was elected to the European Parliament as an independent candidate with 19.4% of the vote, becoming the first independent MEP in the country’s history. He founded Direct Democracy Cyprus in October 2025, building the party around a mobile application through which members can vote directly on policy positions and on the actions of elected representatives.
The victory event was not without incident. Journalists walked out of Panayiotou’s gathering at Menoiko en masse in protest at his attitude towards them, according to reports, citing hours of waiting with no information or statements and what they described as contempt for the press.
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