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Key events
We’d like to hear from you!
If you’re voting today: any long lines? What issues impacted your voting choice most?
If you’re voting tomorrow: any interesting last-minute campaigning in your country?
Send your thoughts to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
What are Latvian voters talking about?
Earlier this week on the blog, we heard from Sandra Kalniete, a candidate for Latvia’s Unity party, who said that “security issues are the absolute priority.”
Voters in Latvia are focused on strengthening defence and military capabilities as well as bolstering border security, she said, adding that discussions are “completely different from the previous campaign” due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and Moscow’s belligerent rhetoric.
By the time polling stations opened in Latvia at 8am local time today, 8.37% of eligible voters already cast their ballots in advance voting, the country’s public broadcaster reported.
This figure is lower than the 11% who voted early in the 2019 election.
Man arrested after attacking Denmark’s prime minister
Late yesterday, news broke that a man was arrested after attacking Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, in central Copenhagen.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Frederiksen was “shocked by the incident.”
“Prime minister Mette Frederiksen was hit by a man Friday evening on Kultorvet in Copenhagen. The man was subsequently arrested,” the statement said.
Police in the Danish capital said the incident had taken place at Kultorvet, a pedestrianised square in the centre of the city.
“We have made an arrest in the case, which we are now investigating. We currently have no further comments or observations on the matter,” the police said on X.
The incident came after several attacks on politicians in different parts of Europe over the past weeks.
Voters to go to polls in five European countries
Voting is underway in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia.
Polling stations will open at 3pm in Italy, where voting will continue tomorrow as well.
Welcome back to the EU elections blog
Good morning and welcome back to the blog.
It’s the third day of voting in the European elections. Today voters in Slovakia, Latvia and Malta go to the polls. Polls are open for a second day in the Czech Republic. And Italians are starting the first of their two days of voting.
