4 nations vote in European election

Voters in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Malta and Latvia headed for the polls on Saturday as part of EU-wide parliamentary elections.

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands cast their ballots on Thursday, with Ireland heading to the ballot box on Friday. The Czech Republic is voting over both Friday and Saturday. 

Germany, along with 21 other countries, will vote on Sunday, with results expected Sunday night after all countries have voted.

Read more: German parties go green for European election

Around 418 million voters from the European Union's 28 member states are eligible to vote in the world's largest election which is being held from Thursday through Sunday.

Surprise win

Dutch pro-EU parties were on track for a surprise win in the European Parliament election, according to an exit poll Thursday that suggested that populist Euroskeptics had failed to make previously forecasted gains.

The Labor party of European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans looked set to win five out of the 26 seats allocated for the Netherlands, according to an Ipsos poll for the Dutch public broadcaster NOS.

Controversy in the UK

Hundreds — if not thousands — of non-British EU citizens were turned away from polling stations on Thursday after being told they were not registered to vote in the United Kingdom for the election of the European Parliament.

The main reason given by polling station workers was that the would-be voters' forms had not been processed in time. However, in some cases, local authorities admitted they had made errors.

Citizens throughout Europe are electing 751 members of the European parliament, although that number will fall to 705 when Britain leaves the bloc. Nations get seats in the EU parliament based on their population.

jsi/jlw (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

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