First day of the four-day process of the European elections today, with the citizens of the Netherlands going to the polls.

Between June 6-9, around 370 million Europeans are called to the polls to elect the 720 members of the new European Parliament.

Tomorrow, Friday, the citizens of Ireland and the Czech Republic vote, on Saturday June 8, the citizens of the Czech Republic vote for a second day, while the polls also open in Slovakia, Malta and Latvia.

On June 9 citizens vote in 21 EU countries, including Greece. The national authorities of each country will not be able to announce official results until the last polls close on Sunday night in Italy (around midnight Greek time).

The Dutch today are called to elect 31 MEPs. Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV party, which won the Dutch elections in November, is expected according to opinion polls to come first in the Netherlands with 21% and to elect about 8 seats in the European Parliament. The Liberal Party (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte is currently in third place with 14% and is expected to win 4 seats.

The Liberal Party in the European Parliament (Renew) has said that after the European elections it will discuss the possible expulsion of Mark Rutte’s party (VVD) because of its alliance with Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV to form a government in the Netherlands. In the event that this happens, it is not excluded that the VVD will seek a home in the European People’s Party (EPP).

The latest opinion polls unanimously see a rise for the nationalist and Eurosceptic right-wing parties of the European Parliament, but not to the point where they can break up the “grand coalition” of the three political groups (right-wing, socialist, liberal) within which compromises are forged that make possible the achieving a large majority.