With the election count reaching 90%, Fidias Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy party has comfortably secured 5.4% of the vote, guaranteeing 4 seats in the new House of Representatives.
In public remarks following the results, Panayiotou expressed deep gratitude to the electorate and his campaign team, emphasizing that the outcome was the product of extensive grassroots work.
Grassroots effort and future legislative focus
The party leader highlighted that despite Direct Democracy being officially launched only six months ago, behind-the-scenes preparations had been underway for a considerable time.
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Gratitude to Campaigners: "We are incredibly happy. We thank everyone who went out to vote for us," Panayiotou stated, offering a heartfelt thank you to the numerous individuals who fought for the movement.
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The Promise of Effort: Framing the victory as "the beginning of Direct Democracy," he noted that the primary objective is to gradually earn the trust of the wider public. "We promise nothing. We only promise an immense amount of effort to change Cyprus."
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Collaborative Stance: Panayiotou expressed surprise at the high polling percentages retained by the island's traditional, established political parties. Looking ahead, he noted that his team will imminently deliberate on the first legislative issue they intend to tackle. "We will all work together inside parliament for the good of Cyprus," he added.
Strategic ambiguity over European Parliament seat
When questioned directly on whether he intends to retain his seat in the European Parliament or vacate it to serve as a domestic MP in Nicosia, Panayiotou declined to provide a definitive answer.
He stated that he would not make an official announcement just yet, citing the need for further consultations with his close advisors and his family. He also pointed out that individual preference votes had not been fully finalized, leaving it technically unconfirmed whether he personally had been elected to one of the seats.
Panayiotou concluded by announcing that Direct Democracy will now transition into establishing a fully organized, permanent political headquarters, expressing confidence that their upcoming parliamentary presence will fully vindicate their voters.
