Exit poll predictions give France's far-right Rassemblement National party (the former Front National) a historic high share of the vote in the European Parliament elections held on Sunday.
At 8pm, the estimates gave the far-right Rassemblement National party a strong lead at around 32.4% of votes cast, with Emmanuel Macron's ruling centre-right Renaissance party second on 15.2%, the Socialist Party third on 14%, while the radical-left, the Greens and the conservatives all given less than 10%.
Of the latter, the radical-left party La France Insoumise was credited with 8.3% of votes cast, followed by 7% for the conservative Les Republicains party, while the EELV Greens and far-right Reconquête were neck-and-neck at just more than 5%, which is the minimum share of the vote needed to obtain any seats in the new parliament.
Turnout in France was estimated at 51.4%, up slightly on the last European elections in 2019, and almost 10% higher than in the poll previous to that in 2014.
A total electorate of around 360 million in the 27 European Union (EU) member states have been called to the urns to elect the 720 members of the new parliament.
For the Rassemblement National, the party's score is almost 10% higher than it garnered at the European elections in 2019, and it will have, according to different estimates, between 29 and 31 seats in the new parliament, while the socialists have more than doubled their 2019 score and are on course to obtain between 12 and 14 seats.
President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, with 7% less than its score in 2019, is likely to obtain 14 or 15 seats.
Europe-wide, far-right parties are also expected to make gains in a number of countries, including Austria and Germany, while some among the EU member states, notably Denmark, appear to have bucked that trend.
Follow the results and reactions in France and around Europe as they come in through the evening on separate live feed coverage from BBC News and The Guardian.