December 14, 2025 Greek Cypriot MEP Fidias Panayiotou and Elon Musk. Credit: Left: European Parliament, Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Right: Steve Jurvetson, Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and owner of the social media platform X formerly known as Twitter, has once again entered the European political conversation by publicly backing Greek Cypriot Member of the European Parliament Fidias Panayiotou. Musk’s intervention followed the circulation of a video in which Panayiotou questions the democratic legitimacy of the current process used to appoint the President of the European Commission. By resharing the clip, Musk brought global visibility to the young MEP’s critique. A viral challenge to EU democratic structures In the video, Greek Cypriot MEP Fidias Panayiotou raises concerns over how the European Union’s top executive role is filled. He argues that the process lacks direct democratic participation, pointing out that while the European Parliament formally votes, political agreements are often concluded in advance. According to Greek Cypriot MEP, this practice diminishes the substance of the parliamentary vote and turns it into a symbolic exercise rather than a meaningful democratic choice. The video rapidly gained traction online, particularly among audiences skeptical of EU institutional transparency. Why Ursula von der Leyen Isn’t Elected pic.twitter.com/rL2lJ1Zopr