IS THIS A VICTORY FOR POPULISTS—OR A FAILURE OF THE ‘SERIOUS’ POLITICIANS?
As we move towards the parliamentary elections, we’re going to hear the word “populist” flung about with ever greater frequency. It’s become the favourite smear of the past decade, deployed relentlessly by the parties and politicians who claim to represent “seriousness” and “political correctness”—despite the glaring reality that contradicts political and common sense.
For decades, political power rested on a simple assumption: that citizens would follow the “serious”, the “rational”, the “moderate”, and the “institutional”. But as this supposedly sound logic produced nothing but scandals, hypocrisy, and arrogance, people began to see “seriousness” for what it really is—a cloak. A convenient costume that every “serious politician” wraps around themselves to justify or conceal absolutely everything: incompetence, cronyism, and the abject failure to answer the simplest questions. Today, society is searching for something basic: honesty—even if it comes in simple, “populist” form.
From “Welcome” to “Protect the Borders”
Immigration proved the textbook case of the chasm between politically correct rhetoric and reality.
In 2015, the EU chose to greet waves of refugees with humanitarian slogans (fair enough, so far)—BUT without a plan. Ten years on, the very same states that were shouting “Welcome” are now building fences, bolstering Frontex, and funding pushbacks at the borders.
Did their ideology change? No! Politics simply crash-landed into reality. And yet those who said this at the time were dismissed as “populists”.
The populist doesn’t spring from thin air
The populist doesn’t materialise in a vacuum. They emerge in societies that feel nobody is listening. They’re the product of disappointment and rage. Some populists are sincere—just inadequate. Others are dangerous—demagogues building careers on chaos. But they all share one thing: they were created by the “serious” politicians who stopped being convincing. The hatching of populists is the fault of the inadequate “serious” politicians and their failure.
When the “system” loses its language—and Christodoulides’ victory
“Serious” politicians often treat the public like pupils who can’t keep up. They speak in numbers, percentages, and reform packages—but not with emotion. They forget that citizens don’t vote to approve an Excel equation. They vote for trust. Which brings us back to the 2023 presidential campaign. Which of the three main candidates came across as most honest? Most “clean”? Most ‘understandable’? The current President. The man who managed to overturn, for the first time in Cyprus, what was thought impossible: to be elected to the highest office without the backing of either DISY or AKEL. And Nikos Christodoulides was branded a “populist” by both major parties. But it’s not just Cyprus. Look at Trump’s recent victory, or Meloni’s. Both were labelled “populists”.
So we’ve reached the point where being branded a “populist” by the “system” and the “serious” politicians actually wins you points and boosts your chances of success. Why?
It’s obvious why: because the “serious” failed to convince anyone they care about citizens. They failed to convince anyone they’re elected to serve the people rather than themselves. They failed to be credible and they failed to inspire. And what’s more, on the altar of political correctness, they abandoned logic and left space for various other “messiahs” to say and champion what’s actually sensible—and rack up the points.
“We’ve seen what the serious lot achieved”
The response from many citizens is summed up by what Fidias himself said the other day when asked why he wore a clown nose at his party’s launch announcement. His answer: “We’ve seen what the serious lot achieved”. And that’s precisely the crux of it for nearly every citizen. Which doesn’t mean they’ll vote for Fidias—but that’s what they feel, that’s what they sense, and that’s what they understand.
In the end, what we’re living through isn’t the success of populists. It’s the failure of the serious. And as Filikí Etaireia rightly wrote in Article #17: The day has arrived—Fidias Panayiotou has announced he’s founding a party. And you know what? If there were a shred of honesty in this country, the establishment would send him flowers. He’s their creation. Their punishment. The result of decades of arrogance, hypocrisy, and corruption that convinced people nothing ever changes, that they’re all the same, that the system is untouchable.
This article was originally published on 19.10.2025
Source: IS THIS A VICTORY FOR POPULISTS—OR A FAILURE OF THE ‘SERIOUS’ POLITICIANS?