Right-wing, far-right and conservative parties are expected to triumph in the European elections – with the final day of voting under way.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SDP is projected to have been beaten by the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD).
Projections are showing that the AfD is on for 16 percent of the vote – five percent higher than in 2019.
The strong performance from the eurosceptic party comes despite a litany of scandals. The AfD's lead candidate in the EU elections, Maximilian Krah, was forced to suspend his campaign and step down from the party's board after telling the Financial Times that not every member of the Nazi's SS paramilitary organization were criminals.
An aide of Krah's is also under investigation for allegedly spying for the Chinese intelligence service. Despite this, the party appears to have had a strong performance.
The AfD are likely to be beaten by the conservative Christian Democratic Union – Ursula von der Leyen's party – which is expected to get around 30 percent of the vote.
Scholz's party meanwhile is on for a meager 14 percent, and the SDP's coalition partners, the Greens, are likely to get around 12.5 percent. Many on the right in Germany are already claiming that the Chancellor's legitimacy is shot, ahead of national elections in 2025.
Further south, the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) is also expected to make gains and may even be the largest party for the first time.
In a triumphant message on X, the party wrote: “THANK YOU AUSTRIA”.
And added: “Today we made history together!”.
A forecast poll showed the radical right-wing party on 27 percent of the vote, putting them ahead of the conservative People's Party on 23.5 percent and the Social Democrats on 23 percent.
In France, National Rally, led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, was confident going into the vote. The far-right party is expected to have a ten-point lead over Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance – up a massive nine points on the last vote.