LAB 25.0%(-9.1%) 1 seat
CON 19.8%(+1.2%) 1 seat
LD  17.6%(-0.2%) 1 seat

You wouldn't know these were European elections.

2235Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University says: On the results declared so far, there is one clear story - Labour's vote is well down on 2004 and it seems highly likely that they will get considerably less than 20% of the vote. They are in a tight battle with UKIP in order to obtain second place. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are struggling to maintain their share of the vote last time, while we still cannot rule out the possibility of the BNP winning a seat.

but then I did hear UKIP described as the BNP with twelve years of public school.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

There are rumours sweeping the parliament - and I stress only rumours at this stage - that eurosceptic UKIP has done stunningly well. One suggestion is that they have come second, with 18 seats. If true, Mr Farage will have a very big smile on his face tonight.

But I wonder if Labour could come third in the next General Election...

The brainless should not be in banking. — Willem Buitler

Con 25
Lab 13
UKIP 13
Lib Dem 11
Green 2
BNP 2
SNP 2
Plaid Cymru 1

While counting goes on elsewhere, Declan Ganley of Libertas is causing trouble:

RTÉ News: Elections 2009 - Election Tracker

-European elections: Mr Ganley said that it's a re-check and not a re-count, and he will accept the final results when every vote has been counted

-European elections: Declan Ganley has told RTÉ that he has had eye witness reports that some of his votes were moved to the wrong part of the count centre

...

09:40 European elections: Declan Ganley (Libertas) has begun a further set of discussions with the returning officer on how the spot checks on the bundles of votes will be carried out

...because he is set to lose:

RTÉ News: Elections 2009 - Elections 2009: Counts resume

In the North West, it looks like seats will go to Pat the Cope Gallagher of Fianna Fáil, Jim Higgins of Fine Gael and Independent Marian Harkin.

Libertas denies paying candidates | IOL

The count in the North West constituency is not expected to conclude until tomorrow afternoon.

Outgoing MEP Marian Harkin topped the poll on the first count followed by Pat the Cope Gallagher of Fianna Fail.

The three seats are now expected to go to Fianna Fail's Pat the Cope Gallagher, Independent Marian Harkin and Fine Gael's Jim Higgins.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives emerge as the strongest party in first exit polls. According to exit polls, the CDU takes 38.2 percent. The Social Democrats SPD come in second with 21.3 percent.  

The conservative Christian Democrats CDU and their Bavarian sister party CSU have won the EU elections in Germany.

 

Chancellor Merkel's party came in first with 38.2 percent of the votes, suffering substantial losses compared to their 2004 result of 44.5 percent.

 

The Social Democrats SPD fell to 21.3 percent from 21.5 percent in 2004 according to first forecasts released by Germany's public television at 18 pm.

ÖVP (EPP) 29.7% (-3.0), 6 seats (0)
SPÖ (PES) 23.8% (-9.5), 5 seats (-2)
Hans Peter Martin (Non-Inscrit) 17.9% (+3.9), 3 seats (+1)
FPÖ (Euronat?) 13.1% (+6.8), 2 seats (+1)
Grüne (Greens-EFA) 9.5% (-3.4), 1 seat (-1)
BZÖ (the late Haider's FPÖ breakaway party, far-right) 4.7% (-), 0 seats (0)

The SPÖ's downfall is a surprise. The BZÖ are just at the limit of getting one mandate. The FPÖ hoped for more.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

EPP-ED (26%) 5 seats
PES (20%) 4 seats
ALDE: (20-21%) 4 seats
Uncommitted (18-20%) 4 seats

There are two ELDR/ALDE parties, one with 3 and one with 1 seats. There are also 2 uncommitted parties each with 2 seats, one of them centre-right, the other far-right.

(source)

EPP-ED: 6 seats
PES: 5 seats
ALDE: 5 seats
Greens-EFA: 3 seats
Others: 3 seats

l'UMP arrive largement en tête avec 28,3 % des voix suivi du PS avec 17,5%. La liste Europe Ecologie arrive en troisème position avec 14,8 % des voix devant le Modem qui totalise 8,7 % des suffrages. Suivent le Front National (6,5 %), le Front de gauche (6,3 %), le NPA (5 %), Libertas (5 %) et Lutte Ouvrière (1,3 %).

EPP: 28.3%
PES: 17.5%
Greens: 14.8%
ALDE: 8.7%

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

     13h    17h
2004 24.56% 33.92%
2009 24.11% 33.79%

PES (22%) 4
ALDE (25%) 3
UEN (15%) 2
Greens-EFA (15%) 2
EPP-ED (12%) 1
GUE/NGL (6%) 1

EPP-ED: 10 seats
PES: 7 seats
GUE/NGL: 4 seats
Greens-EFA: 1 seat

• Fidesz (EPP) 17 seats (+5)
  
• MSzP (PES) 4 seats (-5)
  
• Jobbik (Euronat?) 1 seat (+1)
  
• SzDSz (ALDE) 0 seats (-2)
  
• MDF (EPP) 0 seats (-1)
  
• LMP (Greens-EFA) 0 seats) (0)

PES: (36%-39.5%) 8 seats
EPP-ED (30-33%) 7 seats
GUE/NGL (8-10%) 2 seats
Uncommited (15-19%) 5 seats

Of the uncommitted parties there is one left party (2 seats), one orthodox christian party (2 seats) and one green party (1 seat). I guess the left party will end up sitting either with the Greens-EFA or GUE/NGL and that the green party will join the Greens-EFA. The christians could end up joining IND-DEM.

EPP-ED: 3 seats
PES: 1 seat
ALDE: 1 seat
Greens-EFA: 1 seat

Exit polls for parties likely to pass the 4% limit:

Il Popolo della Libertà         39-43%

Partito Democratico             27-31%

Di Pietro Italia dei Valori     5-8%

Lega Nord                       6,5-10,5%

Unione di Centro                3,7-5,7%

It appears Lechergate has not eroded the hold of Berlusconi's personal political entity. The values reflect that the situation has not changed in two weeks.

Sky now has their estimates up:

Il Popolo della Libertà         39%

Partito Democratico             27,5%

Di Pietro Italia dei Valori     7,8%

Lega Nord                       9,5%

Unione di Centro                5,3%

These estimates exclude representation of the cluster of leftist parties that have fragmented since the last general elections. It's sad to see some valid politicians such as Claudio Fava or Nichi Vendola excluded but it simply repeats a secular problem within the left: protaganism.

Voter participation: 20.91%. For comparison, the 2004 EP election saw 48.38% participation. The two rounds of the National Parliament election saw 48.59% and 32.05% participation.

Around 16:00 affluence was below 27%, so far lower than in 2004.

Romania exit polls: PSD comes first in European elections, slightly overcoming PD-L. Far-rightist Greater Romania Party leader CV Tudor joins European Parliament de V.O. HotNews.ro Duminică, 7 iunie 2009, 21:12 English | Top News
Exit polls in Romania's European Parliament elections on Sunday showed the Social Democrats (PSD) and Liberal Democrats (PD-L) in the lead, with an advantage within error margins for PSD. According to a poll by Insomar institute, PSD won 31% of the votes, followed by PD-L with 30.4%, Liberals (PNL) with 16.6%, Hungarian Democrats (UDMR) with 9.1%, Greater Romania Party (PRM, far right) with 7.2%, President Basescu's daughter Elena Basescu (independent) with 3.6%.

Another poll by CCSB showed PSD in the lead with 30.7%, followed by PD-L with 30.4%. According to the CCSB exit poll, the following party received:

• PNL - 15.4%
• UDMR - 10.4%
• PRM - 6.8%
• Elena Basescu - 3.4%

According to the CCSB results:

• PSD would win 10 seats in the EP
• PD-L - 10 seats
• PNL - 5 seats
• UDMR - 4 seats
• PRM - 2 seats
• Elena Basescu, President Basescu's daughter who ran as an independent candidate, is also in the books for 1 seat

The two people leading the populist, far-right group Greater Romania Party are veteran far-right leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor and businessman-politician Gigi Becali.

EPP (53%) 28 seats
UEN (30%) 16 seats
PES (12%)  6 seats

EPP  31

UEN  12

Socialists  7

EPP-ED: 3 seats
PES: 2 seats
ALDE: 2 seats

[To] Graham [Watson, ALDE Chairman], if there is indeed a majority with the EPP, you should press to become the president of the EP. :-)