Slovakia, Latvia and the smallest EU member Malta have opened their polls this morning. This afternoon will see the crucial Italian vote get underway, with prime minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing Brothers of Italy party hoping to cement their position as powerbroker in Brussels.
More than 350 million eligible voters in 27 EU countries are heading to the polls to choose the next European Parliament.
Euronews’ Poll Centre predicts that far-right parties across the continent are on course for historic gains.
The election will gauge political temperature across the 27 member states on crucial issues such as climate change and the future of the European Green Deal, economic recovery post-COVID-19, migration, and the EU’s role on the global stage.
At stake – who takes the helm at the European institutions in Brussels – including the Commission and the Council – determining the political course of the European Union over the next five years. Check our election hub here.
The story so far:
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Ireland closed its poll at 10pm last night (7 June), while Czechs begin a second day of voting today. Voters in Latvia, Slovakia and Malta are heading for the ballot boxes this morning, while Italy opens its poll this afternoon.
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The second day of the EU elections was marred by violence – an unfortunate trope of this year’s poll – as the Danish Prime Minister suffered an assault in Copenhagen in the late evening.
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Dutch Results. 47% of the Dutch electorate voted on Thursday (6 June), with the right-wing PVV party the biggest gainer of the night, at least on the evidence of the exit poll, jumping from one seat to seven – but the Green-Socialist coalition edged ahead with eight seats, according to the exit poll.
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Cyberattacks. At least three Dutch parties said their websites were hit by cyberattacks claimed by a pro-Russian hacking group.
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Ursula von der Leyen was accosted by pro-Palestine demonstrators – their hands daubed red – who drowned out her campaign speech at a rally in Portugal.
Stay tuned with us during the European Parliament elections to get live updates, original stories and analysis from Brussels and the European capitals until Monday!