Voters in 21 European Union countries, including France and Germany, end four-day European Parliament elections on Sunday, which are expected to tilt the parliament towards the political right and a growing number of Eurosceptic nationalists.
The election will determine how the European Union, a bloc of 450 million citizens, confronts challenges including Russia, growing industrial competition from China and the United States, climate change and migration.
The elections began on Thursday in the Netherlands and in other countries on Friday and Saturday, but the bulk of the votes in the European Union will be cast on Sunday, as France, Germany, Poland and Spain open voting centers, while Italy holds a second day of voting.
The European Parliament said it would release an EU-wide opinion poll around 20:30 CET (18:30 GMT) and then the first provisional result after 23:00 CET when it is replaced by the final EU vote in Italy.
Opinion polls predict that the pro-European Liberals and Greens will lose their seats, reducing the centre-right and centre-left majorities and complicating efforts to pass new EU laws or increase European integration.
Many voters have been hit by the cost of living crisis, have concerns about immigration and the cost of the green transition, and are disturbed by rising geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine. Extremist and far-right parties exploited this anxiety and offered voters an alternative to the mainstream.
It appears that the European Green Party will be among the biggest losers in the elections. The party faces a backlash from families, farmers and the agricultural sector, which is under severe pressure due to expensive European Union policies that limit carbon dioxide emissions.
The outlook for the liberal Renew Europe bloc is also bleak, given expectations that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party will defeat President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Ennahda party in France.
It is worrying.
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