European conservatives have decisively beaten socialists in EU elections marred by record low turnout.
For more, including election results, visit RTÉ.ie/Elections
The polls marked a painful defeat for the socialists, who failed to capitalise on concerns about Europe's recession-hit economies, and some success for parties on the far-right and left, as well as anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic movements.
Governing centre-left parties in Britain, Spain and Portugal were punished by their electorates while their allies in opposition in Germany and France suffered brutal losses.
The centre-right bloc in the EU parliament, the European People's Party, secured 263 seats confirming it again as the biggest group in the 736-member assembly, ahead of the socialists on 163 seats, down from 215 in 2004, official estimates said.
The win came despite the desertion of the British and Czech conservatives.
The Liberal Democrats came in third with 80 seats in the assembly, underlining the tendency to vote to the right.
The Greens performed well in fourth place, boosting their seats from 43 to 52 in the European Union's only directly elected institution.
It remains unclear how closely the EPP and the Party of European Socialists, which analysts said should have won ground given the effects of the economic crisis, will continue to work together.
Some 388m people were eligible to vote over four days in the 27 EU nations to select a new European Parliament for five years.
Turnout slumped to 42.8%, down from 45.4% in 2004.
The extreme right-wing British National Party won its first two European Parliament seats, while Dutch anti-Islamic lawmaker Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom came second on Thursday with 17%.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives came out on top, trouncing her Social Democrat rivals in what was seen as a test for September's general election.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing UMP party romped home with close to 28%, leaving the opposition Socialists trailing with just over 16%, about the same as the Greens.
Scandal-plagued Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's party led with 34.7%, with most ballots counted, well below his target of 40%.
