The European Parliament is scheduled to publish at 9.15 p.m. (Greece time) a first assessment of its new composition and new political affiliations, based on exit polls.

The consultations between the executives of the political groups of the European Parliament are feverish, a few hours before the polls close in 21 EU countries that vote today, June 9, the last day of the four-day process of the European elections, which began on June 6.

The European citizens with their vote are the ones who will highlight the new balance of power within the European Parliament, on which the election of one of the most important top offices of the EU, that of the President of the European Commission, will depend. Of the organ that forms the heart of the EU mechanism and outlines the basic orientations of the Union.

As of this morning, the European Parliament has opened its doors to over 1000 accredited journalists. The plenary hall has been turned into a press room with giant screens where the results will be announced.

At around midnight, the statements of the presidents of the political groups and the candidates for the Presidency of the Commission are also awaited with great interest, while around the same time the projection of the “provisional results” is expected, taking into account the first national official results available.

With the results of the Eurocalp, the processes of the political groups to search for alliances will also begin.

All opinion polls record the rise of far-right, nationalist, or anti-European parties and the fear of destabilization from within increases. However, it is unlikely that these forces, which are divided among themselves, will succeed in breaking up the “grand coalition” of the three political groups (right, socialist, liberal) within which compromises are forged that make it possible to achieve a large majority.

According to the latest opinion polls, the three political groups that form an informal coalition in the EP: the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Center-Liberals (Renew), are expected to gather a total of 390-404 of the 720 seats of the new European Parliament, i.e. a comfortable majority, well above the minimum threshold of 361 votes needed to elect the President of the Commission.