EU votes as far right challenges Macron

BRUSSELS: Voters were called out for a third day in EU parliamentary elections on Saturday as the far right hoped to win a major breakthrough and deny a pro-Europe victory for French President Emmanuel Macron.

Polls were open in Malta, Slovakia and Latvia, with most of the bloc´s 28 member states, including big players Germany, France and Italy, to vote on Sunday.

More than 400 million people are eligible to elect 751 members of the European Parliament, with the first official results announced late Sunday once voting in all EU countries is over.

Polling has shown for months that eurosceptics and the anti-immigration far right could make big gains in the vote, which will also help determine who replaces Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission as well as other top jobs.

France´s staunchly pro-European Macron has a big stake in the outcome, hoping to see his centrist Republique en Marche make a strong showing and shake-up EU politics in a direct challenge to the nationalists.

But Marine Le Pen of France´s National Rally (RN) has teamed up with Matteo Salvini of Italy´s anti-immigrant League and wants their Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) group to become the third largest in the assembly.

Salvini´s League tops the polls in Italy and Le Pen´s RN party has an edge in France, with around 25 percent support against Macron´s 22.5 percent.

"Once again Macron is daring us to challenge him. Well let´s take him at his word: On May 26, we´ll challenge him in the voting booth," Le Pen said at a rally on Friday. Eurosceptics got a major boost from Britain´s Nigel Farage whose Brexit Party, according to polls, will score a resounding victory in the UK.

If that is confirmed, the veteran Brexiteer would likely team up with Italy´s anti-establishment Five Star movement to become another force of disruption in parliament. Britain voted on Thursday, with Farage´s in-roads helping push Prime Minister Theresa May to step down following months of Brexit crisis.