The first exit polls on Sunday showed 24-year-old independent MEP candidate Fidias Panayiotou landing himself the third spot in the results and winning a seat in European Parliament.

There are six seats available, which show Disy and Akel neck-and-neck, with 22.6 per cent to 25.4 per cent, each.

Fidias has according to the exit polls secured third place with 15.7 per cent and 18.3 per cent, according to the CyBC exit poll which took into account 80 per cent of the sample.

Elam comes in fourth place, with 10.9 to 13.1 per cent, beating Diko which comes in fifth place garnering eight to 10 per cent of voters.

Speaking on Alpha TV after the release of the exit polls, Panayiotou said, “we have achieved a miracle”.

“I believed when I announced my candidacy that my chances of being elected, and people asked me, ‘why, if you did not believe you could win, did you run for election?’ The answer is that of you believe something is important enough, you have to try it, even if the weight of probability is against you,” he said.

He added, “today is an important day, not only for Cyprus but possibly also for the entire world.

“This is maybe the first time a completely independent candidate has been elected, without having any relation whatsoever with a political party, but with social media as his only weapon, and nothing else.”

“This maybe means the world has reached a moment at which a new chapter in the book of democracy begins,” he added.

He went on to say that his election may open the door for a “new type of democracy” which is more direct and which “gives more power to the people”, and then spoke directly to Cyprus’ political parties.

“Today’s results, ladies and gentlemen of political parties, should be taken as an alarm bell which is ringing to tell yo to modernise. Leave behind your conflicts amongst yourselves and remember you are serving the people, and not your own personal or party political interests,” he said.

He added an “I love you” to those who voted for him, and promised to be “an MEP for the entire Cypriot people, as well as for all of the peoples of Europe”.