EU voters head to polls to conclude 4-day election marathon, Belgians vote twice

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) — Voters in most EU countries began casting their ballots Sunday to elect their representatives in the European Parliament (EP) for a five-year term.

On the final stretch of four days of voting that began this week, EU voters in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are heading to the polls.

As an exception, Estonians were able to start voting on June 3, with polling stations open until June 9.

The Dutch followed on June 6, the official beginning of the elections, with the Irish and the Czech following suit on June 7.

Voting started on Saturday in Malta, Latvia, Slovakia, and Italy, with Italians still going to polling stations on Sunday.

Millions across the EU had to vote June 6-9 for their representatives in the EP, the bloc's only directly elected body and the world's only directly elected transnational legislature.

A total of 720 lawmakers will be elected to a five-year term. They will then choose an EP president, a post currently held by Roberta Metsola.

- Elections in Belgium

Belgian citizens will be voting twice on Sunday, also casting ballots for the country's domestic elections, on the regional and federal levels.

More than 8 million will express their choice for the country's Federal Parliament and the representatives in their respective regions.

Municipal and provincial elections are scheduled in Belgium for Oct. 13.