Influencer who became elected official as a prank reveals his shockingly high salary

A YouTuber and influencer who managed to become a member of the European Parliament without having any experience has now revealed how much he earns.

That's right, Fidias Panayiotou didn't need fancy plans or promises to win votes earlier this year - he simply showed he wanted to have a bit of fun.

In doing so, the 24-year-old from Cyprus managed to secure 19.4 percent - the third-largest number of votes - to become an independent MEP to the European Parliament.

Panayiotou himself admitted his success was a 'shock', but he's taken it in his stride and now shares updates about his life as an MEP with his followers.

Last week, the YouTuber answered one of the questions so many people want to know: how much cash does he get for his life in politics?

Panayiotou cut straight to the point as he said 'it's a lot', before he broke down the figures further.

"Let's start with my salary," he said, revealing that he gets €8,000 ($8,659) a month 'in [his] pocket'.

How Much Politicians Get Paid pic.twitter.com/S8d4yXrIgd

— Fidias (@Fidias0) July 5, 2024

On top of that, Panayiotou said he gets another €350 ($378) every day he comes into the parliament to sign documents - something he himself admitted was 'a bit strange'.

"Apart from that, I get €30,000 ($32,473) per month for the salaries of my team," Panayiotou continued.

"Also I can have an office [in] my country and they give me €5,000 ($5,412) a month."

We're already getting into some pretty big figures here, but the cash doesn't stop there as Panayiotou tacked on €4,000 ($4,328) a month to 'promote [his] work', and €10,000 ($10,824) a month to bring people to the parliament building to learn what goes on there.

"In addition to all this money I get some benefits like having a driver here in Brussels to drive me around, and also business class tickets to fly back to my country.

"I'm curious to hear if you think we are overpaid or underpaid. Let me know," Panayiotou said.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that viewers were shocked at how much Panayiotou earns, with many making clear they thought it was too much.

"Politicians should get paid minimum wage.. Maybe then they would figure out how to make life affordable," one person wrote on Twitter.

Another commented: "Way overpaid...."

Some people did argue that Panayiotou was being paid fairly - as long as the money he was being given was used properly - while others simply praised the YouTuber for being open and honest about his earnings.