European election results: 9 things to watch out for across the EU

Politics Explained: Beyond the possible resurrection of the Lib Dems, France could be a key battleground

Britain went to the polls on Thursday to vote in the European parliament elections. We won’t get the results until Sunday evening, because other countries vote on different days.

Here are some interesting things to watch out for in the result, both in Britain and further abroad:

Will the Lib Dems beat Labour?

Some polls have shown the Lib Dems ahead of Labour, apparently due to support from angry Remain voters – while others are showing Jeremy Corbyn’s party in front. It’ll be interesting to see who is right.

Just how low can the Tories go?

The Conservatives look to be heading for a very weak result. One particular benchmark to watch out for is whether they hit their lowest ever score in a national election: below 23.1 per cent.

Who’ll be the next European Commission president?

Across the EU, whether the centre left or centre right have a good night could decide who replaces Jean-Claude Juncker. EU leaders will hold a summit on Tuesday to have a chat about it, but the election results will be our first clue.

Just how well will populists do across the EU?

Much of the narrative of the last few years has been about the rise of far-right parties. A good result for them would be a third of the parliament, which is the top end of the predictions pollsters have made.

Macron vs Le Pen

The race in France is mostly between Emmanuel Macron’s centrist list and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party. This will be an interesting one to watch.

Will Ukip survive?

Ukip won the last UK elections in 2014, but it’s polling terribly this time – having lost all its votes to the Brexit Party. Could it be completely wiped out?

Will Change UK register?

Remain-backing Change UK has benefited from huge publicity compared to other new parties, thanks to the established status of its MPs. The European parliament elections should have been fertile ground for the group: MEPs are elected by proportional representation, and Brexit has been the main focus of campaigning. But will anyone actually vote for the new party?

The Catalan separatists

Some of the Catalan separatists who fled Spain, like Carles Puigdemont, have decided to stand in the European parliament elections. MEPs get legal immunity while going about their duties: could it be a way for Puigdemont and his colleagues to return him?

Silvio Berlusconi

The former Italian prime minister is standing to be an MEP. Could he make yet another political comeback?