Government

European Parliament elections not only determine the make-up of the next EU assembly and help decide who ends up running top European institutions but can also play back into the national politics of the bloc's 28 member states.
Here is a run-down of some of those national stakes after polls closed on Sunday and exit polls and early results came in:

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is likely to call snap elections in June, a source in his SYRIZA party said on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
SYRIZA, in power since 2015, suffered a heavy defeat on Sunday in elections for new delegates to the European Parliament, trailing behind the main opposition New Democracy party by about nine points.

Bucharest, May 26 /Agerpres/ - The chairman of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, stated, on Sunday evening, after the announcement of the exit-polls in the European Parliament elections that the results are not ones to "satisfy the PSD". "I thank Romanians that have voted with the PSD. (...) These are not results to satisfy the PSD.

The outcome of Sunday's triple elections is a "victory for Greece," former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras said after official projections showed opposition New Democracy firmly in the lead in polls for European Parliament and regional and local government.

The Chairman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), Calin Popescu Tariceanu, stated on Sunday, at the headquarters of the party, following the closing of the polls, that from discussions with his colleagues the number of votes that they counted on, calculated for a turnout of around 35 pct, will come true, but the record turnout diminishes the share of the votes won by ALDE.

Supporters of ruling SYRIZA party react after the release of the initial exit polls following local, regional and European elections in Greece. New Democracy had 36-32 percent of the vote and SYRIZA, the party of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, had 29-25 percent, according to the polls. [EPA]

The Supreme Court on Sunday evening issued guidelines granting an extension to polling stations where constituents were still lining up to vote after the official 7 p.m. closing time.

  
    In Hungary, 17.2% of voters voted around 8.00 am compared with 11.5% five years ago.
    Observers in Slovakia predict a turnout of about 20 per cent. Although it is still low, it is higher than 13 percent in 2014.
    Electoral activity in the European elections in Slovakia was the lowest in the EU since its accession to the bloc in 2004, the DPA notes.

The polling station's control stamp having been applied anywhere else than on the last page of the ballot paper is no reason to invalidate the ballot, Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) spokesman Marian Muhulet said on Sunday. He specified that the ballot papers stamped on the first page or elsewhere are not void and will therefore not be invalidated at the vote count that starts after 21:00 hrs.

The ballot on Sunday is very important for both the state of affairs in the European Union and for Romania, given the referendum in which Romanians are called to vote whether they want rule of law or not, People's Movement Party (PMP) honorary chairman Traian Basescu stated.