Build-up and reaction to European election results

A reminder that these elections will also have an impact on who will become the next European Commission president.

Throughout the past few weeks, candidates from the main parties, known as Spitzenkandidaten, have been campaigning across Europe.

Our Brussels reporter Adam Fleming explains the process below – but there’s also a chance that the national leaders might abandon this process and choose an outside favourite instead.

Dutch voters were, along with the UK, first to go the polls on Thursday and the Dutch Labour party have already been celebrating what they think will be a good night for them. But for the official results, the waiting goes on.

Initial results and projections will be announced from the European Parliament in Brussels, where MEPs hoping to keep their jobs and the press alike can watch the contest unfold on the big screen.

Voting began on Thursday in the UK and the Netherlands, then continued across the EU.

But voting is still ongoing in several European countries where
polling day is Sunday.

UK election law prevents the BBC, along with other UK broadcasters,
from reporting details of campaigning or predictions of results until all polls
have closed.

We’ll still bring you reaction from around Europe –
from those parties that think they have done well and those who don’t – until the official
results are released.

You can read more about the BBC’s election coverage rules here.

Welcome to the BBC’s live online coverage of the European
Parliament elections across all 28 countries.

We’ll be bringing you the latest news as results are
released late on Sunday – both the national battles and what it means for the
pan-Europe power blocs.

In the UK there will also be a particular focus on how the mainstream parties have fared in light of the continuing Brexit crisis and the announcement by Prime Minister Theresa May to resign next month.