Photo: Collected
A new crop of EU lawmakers will join more familiar faces in the European Parliament this week, including influencers, activists and even a former jockey. They are among the 720 MEPs elected by EU citizens in June.
Here AFP takes a closer look at some of the more unusual representatives heading to the parliament based in Strasbourg, France:
Fidias Panayiotou
When Cypriot YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou, 24, first entertained the idea of becoming an EU lawmaker, even his own family thought his bid would be unsuccessful.
"I asked him to stop, not to try, because he will fail," his mother Irene Panayiotou said in a video on his YouTube account that has more than 2.6 million subscribers.
"The whole family didn't receive it very well," he said. Around six months later, the prankster had the last laugh.
More famous for giving tech billionaire Elon Musk a hug, he has admitted having no political experience but has opted for an unorthodox way of representing voters.
In one of his most recent posts, he asked people to tell him whether he should vote for Ursula von der Leyen to get a second mandate as European Commission president.
He even decided he would remain an independent lawmaker after asking his followers whether he should join a group.
Panayiotou sparked controversy last year when he travelled around Japan, avoiding paying for transport and restaurants, and even begging.
He later publicly apologised.
Messenger/Disha
