EU elections 2024 live: Macron dissolves French parliament and calls snap election as far right surges in Europe | European elections

Walter Baier, lead candidate for the European Left has said the rise of Sahra Wagenknecht’s support in Germany was a protest against social deprivation and the weakening public service in eastern parts of the country.

“I feel the rise of … Sahra Wagenknecht is one of the symptoms of the disillusionment of broad layers of society, with the current politics, with the politics of social degradation with the politics of new liberal downsizing of public services particularly in the eastern parts of Germany,” he said.

European People’s party: 191

Socialists and Democrats: 135

Renew Europe: 83

European Conservatives and Reformists: 71

Identity and Democracy: 57

Greens/EFA: 53

The Left: 35

Non-attached: 45

Others: 50

Big shifts are under way in Hungarian politics. Here are the latest numbers, with 64.24% of votes counted.

Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz is at merely 43.7%, compared with the 52% it won in the last European election.

Brothers of Italy: 28%

Democratic Party: 23%

Five Stars Movement: 12%

Forza Italia: 9.5%

League: 9%

How do the numbers compare?

Based on the current provisional results:

European People’s party: 189 seats. Gained 13

Socialists and Democrats: 135 seats. Lost 4 seats

Renew Europe: 80 seats. Lost 22 seats

European Conservatives and Reformists: 72 seats: Gained 3 seats

Identity and Democracy: 58 seats; Gained 9 seats

Greens/EFA: 52 seats Lost 72

Journalists in the room could be heard sighing as it was announced that Emmanuel Macron’s ally, Valérie Hayer, is not present and won’t be speaking.

Nicolas Schmit, the lead candidate for the European socialists, is speaking now at the European parliament.

There is no place, no possibility for social democrats to cooperate with those who want to weaken Europe, he declared.

Update from our correspondent in Greece

Over in Greece the biggest winner of today’s ballot – unquestionably- was the no-show vote with abstention rates reaching close to 60 percent, the highest ever. Unheard of in an otherwise deeply politicised nation.

But there were clear ballot box messages, too, and the first to understand that tonight was the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose centre-right New Democracy party lagged 14 points behind the vote share it achieved in national elections last July, and at 28.6%, five percent behind its declared goal of attaining 33% this evening.

Although leftwing main opposition Syriza won 14.7%- lower than the 17% it clinched in national polls last year – Mitsotakis was quick to recognise that the results were disappointing.

“I will not hide the truth. Our party did not reach the goal we had set … We knew from the beginning that this election would be very difficult. Citizens who supported us in 2023 knew that now they were not electing a government and, perhaps faced this battle differently,” he said in a late night address.

People had practical problems to deal with – such as soaring prices as a result of the cost of living crisis – and wanted to send a message, he said.

Mitsotakis, though doing well as a centre right leader more generally in Europe, is also acutely aware of the rise (and appeal) of the far-right in Greece with parties to the right of New Democracy, such as nationalist Greek Solution, coming in fourth with 9.3%.

“These elections are the starting point of a new path toward 2027,” he said referring to the next national election while vowing to concentrate on everyday issues affecting Greeks.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and lead candidate for the centre-right European People’s party, is on stage.

She has thanked the European voters for their trust.

“Today is a good day for the European People’s party. We won the European elections,” she declared, speaking to reporters in the European parliament.

The EPP is an anchor of stability, she said.

This election has given us two messages, she said: the centre is holding, but it is also true that the extremes on the left and right have gained support, and this is why the result comes with great responsibility for the parties in the centre, she said.

We all have an interest in stability, she stressed, adding that as of tomorrow she will be reaching out to the Socialists and Democrats and Renew Europe.

We are now building on a constructive and proven relationship, she said.

Von der Leyen said that her aim is to continue on the same path with those who are pro-European, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law.

The world around us is in turmoil, the Commission president said, noting that some are trying to weaken Europe. “We will never let that happen,” she declared.

“These election results show that the majority of Europeans want a strong Europe,” she said.

New provisional results have been announced:

Centre-right European People’s party: 189

Socialists and Democrats: 135

Renew Europe: 80

European Conservatives and Reformists: 72

Far-right Identity and Democracy: 58

Greens: 52

The Left: 36

This post has been corrected, after the European parliament reported the wrong numbers.

With 51.12% of votes counted, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party is at 43.57%, while Péter Magyar’s new opposition party Tisza is at 30.99%.

An opinion poll before the election predicted that Fidesz would take 50%. If confirmed, these results show Orbán has performed far worse than expected and that political newcomer Magyar has managed to reach a wide audience.

As voting continues in Hungary, here are the latest results.