Explainer: How will the EU elections work?

From June 6-9, roughly 373 million Europeans will head to the polls for elections to the European Parliament.

People across the European Union's 27 member states will vote to decide who serves in the parliament for the next five years.

Analysts expect to see a surge in support for candidates on the more conservative side of the political spectrum. Support for right-wing parties has been taking off across Europe and could shake up the political landscape in Brussels, according to some experts.

A poll by POLITICO predicts that Europe's main conservative groups are set to gain ground in the Parliament. Far-right political group Identity and Democracy and center-right European Conservatives & Reformists are set to add around 17 seats to their column and land roughly 144 of the 720 available, according to the news organization's estimates.

This could have far-reaching effects.

"They (all the dissenting MEPs across Parliament) can realistically expect to cross the barrier of one-third seats which would give them a blocking minority for various legislation that the European Parliament is passing," said Pawel Zerka, Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The first EU elections were held back in 1979. At that time just nine member states voted for 410 Members of the European Parliament or MEPs.

This year, voters across the 27 European member states will head to the polls to choose 720 members of the European Parliament.

The number of MEPs is based on a nation's size. Germany has the most with 96 while Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg have the least with six each.

People vote for a national political party when they cast their ballots but most lawmakers choose to join transnational parties that are united by values rather than nationality.

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Voter turnout across the bloc stood at roughly 50 percent back in 2019 and EU officials are urging people to participate in large numbers. "Don't take Europe for granted. Shape it and be it. And between 6-9 June, don't let others decide your future for you," said President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. "So go out and vote," she added.

There are currently seven political groups in parliament spanning the political spectrum.

The center-right European People's Party is currently the biggest serving in a coalition with party's like Renew and S&D. The European Parliament is just one of the three major EU institutions but it's the only one whose members are directly elected by the public.

European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is up for re-election but voters won't see her, or the names of other candidates, on the ballot. It is parliament and elected MEPs that have the power to approve or reject potential candidates. That means a stronger showing for a party in the polls means they have a greater say on who should get the top job.

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