analysts conservative ruling law and justice party won a crushing $42.00 and a half percent of the vote so what does this mean for europe. i'm serious i was gonna walk a back to our special coverage of the 200-1000 european elections so we are bringing you rolling coverage of the results across the 28 member states as 400000000 eligible voters have their say now polls have just closed in italy the last country to finish voting and one of the most closely watched italy's interior minister my tail salvini has been campaigning hard he's hoping that his right wing populist league party becomes the number one party in italy and one of europe's most influential he is trying to forge an alliance of european populists centered around the issue of immigration. and let's go right to

milan thomas sparrow is standing by for us there he's been covering the vote in italy for us hi thomas so polls have closed there do we have any idea at this point how the results are looking. so we the 1st numbers have just been published you can imagine the reaction here from those 1st numbers we can see that the league is said to have between 27 and 30 percent that is a bit of than what they had actually expected but speaking previously to some members of the league here they had said that even if it were below the 30 percent mark that they had set themselves then they would still try and present that i mean a way as a victory because it's more than what they got in any case 5 years ago in the european election back then then for the democratic party which actually won the election 5 years ago there was you have less of a percentage at this time fewer votes but it's still between $5.24 so relatively

good result for them because according to that they would finish 2nd even above the 5 star movement which is said to have between $20.23 again these results have to be taken with a pinch of salt it's only the 1st results that have come out the polls here actually have just closed a few minutes ago so we still have to wait exactly how these numbers develop here in italy overnight that's right thomas but as you're saying you know this is what my tail salvini was aiming for to become the biggest party in italy what does this mean for the other parties are non populist parties in retreat in italy. well they are certainly having a difficult time in particular the democratic party that's the center left party which as i mentioned had actually won the election in 2014 they had had around 40 percent of the vote back then 5 years later they have that so as i say 21 to

24.5 percent so for them that is certainly a rather better result compared to 5 years ago and part of that. part the reason why this happened is actually because voters have punished them voters believe that they are no longer connected to their main interest connected to what they really want and many of the voters have actually gone to other parties like for example a 5 star movement that's a clear case here in italy so that explains partially why this has happened we went today here in the streets in milan and spoke to some people about these different issues and this is what they told us saw. new stuff that's in the corner of course . is doing some interesting things for me talking to my jordan to the law not trying to defend italy's rights in europe. but this is about i believe ok so to new can for instance take the battle for the euro which i think in general has weakened italy you know or thought on the same level of course

but i'm not cross over any. i'm glad that he's involved in the fight. for the. last minutes of. trade ok. i believe that sometimes a bit of an iron fist is necessary so our voices heard right because of her always too nice and submissive. but i think people don't take us seriously that ukraine a possible that. i agree with so we knew that we need to change europe we would like another europe in europe that cares about people and most about business. so thomas interesting to hear from those voices there are a lot of support for matteo salvini the message that this is our man standing up for us in europe on the other hand we've heard from the tail salvini that he wants to reform europe from within so what does matteo salvini actually want what does you know his popularity mean for europe well he essentially wants to

form an alliance with parties across the continent that could have similar views for example when it comes to immigration that's at least his stated goal he wanted to become as well the biggest political group in the european parliament the big questions to me is whether he will achieve those goals given the fact that many of the parties elsewhere do not share all of the same views when it comes to russia for example when it comes to the economy different parties described as populist across the continent have very different views so what might be has said he wants to do and he will probably do it as well with this result if you try and forge alliances with other similar movements the big question is whether he will be successful in doing so given those differences across the continent now thomas as we heard the 1st results coming in there it looks like the lead party my test of his party poised to be the biggest in italy our correspondent thomas sparrow in milan we'll talk to you a little bit later. well let's look at the projected figures of how many

seats each party group would have in the next european parliament and we have some figures here we can look at the the leftist a european united last and nordic green bloc they're taking 45 seats so far of the center left social democrats getting 148 seats the greens have 68 seats the liberal. group would receive $94.00 seats the center right european peoples party this is the biggest block takes $162.00 seats follow followed by the euro skeptic conservatives that you see are taking $59.00 seats and then we come to the populist groups who have the e f d d at 46 seats and the new proposed far right european alliance of peoples and nations coming in there at 73 seats. right wing populist parties are making their strongest showing ever in a european parliamentary election and they're trying to become

a united front here's a closer look at a growing force in european politics. the cd come not to break europe but to remake it divided by language. united by populism abusive parents with their proximity did it starts it can be frightening and a common enemy is an example of. they are europe's far right leaders and together they are appending decades of e.u. rules and norms laying siege from within. the man hoping to lead best pots work a populist it's a he's deputy prime minister macho salvini his hardline italy 1st man a face to help transform his friend's party and to government material i know he wants to do the same across the continent by ending together ideological bedfellows promising to tear up the rules. our objective is to finally be

a force for government and change your book to bring your blood new hope a dream. his closest ally is marine le pen. the head of france's far right political dynasty she learned to campaign with her firebrand father nationalism runs and hard blood but now she's gone her own way. the french flag iraq for attacks on the elites the e.u. and immigration in the past she called for funds to leave the union but has since returned seeking instead the stripped back be used power. so you no longer want this european union that is fretting and bridled globalization on europe globalization without regulation means having slaves manufacture to sell to the unemployed so. helping to banish the shackles of brussels is york might end

of the alternative for germany leading up to born in the chaos of the financial crisis but who found success talking about migration equal marriage and islamic extremism unlike the others they have threatened a day a german exit from the e.u. if the bloc fails to change it changed and he wants to avoid damage will need to change other rection other was briggs's won't be the last exit. then there is viktor orban. hungary's proudly a liberal prime minister. has combative reputation recently and have the praise of a kindred spirit like me a little bit controversial but that's ok that's ok you've done a good job and you've kept your country safe in his years help tear down the iron curtain now he shows off the fences here wrecked it on europe's borders he and

salvini have formed a friendship of late seeing themselves as manning europe's front lines. but you will mr salvini says that we need a new europe and i support his concept. share his view i too think that we need a new chapter. but the success of the populist insurgency may well come down to whether salvini can turn friendship into partnership. was noticeably absent when soviet populist gathered for a final rally in milan last week. the rain drenched crowd testament to the scale of the populist push by. the mean a crushing the mom casting himself as europe's salvation. by a rising tide of under and resentment. right well one of the populist parties we saw in that report is germany's a.f.d. and the partial results that we have here in germany show them coming in

a little above 10 percent less than they had hoped for still very much shaping discourse in the campaign ahead of the vote are brussels the bureau chief max hoffman has a member of the f.t. there to speak to max please take it away. that's right so me i have. here with me a member of the a.f.c. and as he said before if he's so far had one seat in the european parliament and now they're poised to get 10 to 11 seats of a 10 to leaven seats so i think it's about time that our worldwide viewers know what what your party is about so it's going to ask you a couple quick questions and you tell me what the position is for example is because migration is a big topic for if the are you for legal ways of migration. of course the awful legal maze of migration it's not a question about only off or against it's a question of how we manage it so how many people come from direct do they come and what skills to bring with them so an american model. green card at say an american

model assault from one such do you are you for the freedom of the press as we have it now in the european union of course we are that's why critical to wants just big block of public lore which is very unique in germany so you want to have more competition and more diversity of different abroad cost institutions but you also i mean you have been in hungary for example that you have a very close political program to his and he's widely accepted as somebody who's threatening freedom of the press and hungry how do you explain that. i'm someone who's very often in their familial wood but it's a new pain conditions and what i see is when i look into budapest and as to spectrum of opinions that on public debate and that people can kind of hold without having problems seems to me much brought brought to an budapest and below and so i

don't think we should believe to be on is such a bad guy in my mind he isn't much climate change seems to be one of the top topics why people when on the street the greens are very successful with 22 percent in germany are you for a fighting climate change do you believe the. human made climate change we do believe that there is a human share in the climate change we have but we don't think this is 100 percent and we don't thing that climate change is the only issue we should follow so we have to take into consideration social costs of decoupling ization we have to take care economic interests that said we are for a more rational and maybe less radical climate policy than maybe greater to. suggest it so what do you propose in that area. we believe if we should go out of atomic power plants this is

a step which is bad for carbon dioxide but on the other hand we see we think that we should do it together with other countries on the world it makes no sense that germany changes its whole energy system and the us brazil and china are in so we would focus on the costs of climate change instead of trying to destroy or automotive industry so make the companies that are responsible for a lot of carbon emissions pay maybe we look at what climate change will bring so we can prepare more if we have higher flights we could say did we build higher. on the sea. to the point is what what is climate change bringing on costs involved maybe on benefits and then we have more costs and benefits that is clear but let's focus on let's react on climate change and said of us yes doing

a very unsocial a very costly and very unsafe politics do you mean by waiting what climate change brings in not acting now but waiting until we have the effects do both we act now but in. we don't act in a radical way we act in a slow way that causes too much social fracture frictions on the other hand by doing a a less radical climate policy and now we know that we will have a higher increase of temperature in 50 or 100 years and now let's prepare for what that will bring on costs or just just do it in a very rational and. and balanced way and not focus on one way there are 2 ways you can you can follow and we would combine it now it appears that your faction that your bound to do found with the league in italy and also the us.

in france will be one of the biggest factions in the parliament maybe the biggest in the parliament do you think you're really going to be able to hold that faction together with. other parties like that that you have different varying interests but that's typical in the open palm and i mean that's a parliament where a lot of different groups on together and so we are optimistic. because we know that if you don't stick together we have no chance to to realize our agenda. that said i guess every one of days in those parties newsted there is a serious challenge and i'm very optimistic that the inside and that necessity overall we will wait see the fictions under differences the parties have what's your top priority going into the european parliament. the top priority is to bring paul back to do each and the nation states and to prevent europe to become

a kind of a super state a as it was it doesn't run by the work receipt of the fall waited that is that is the biggest saying anti the top actual issue is to stop illegal migration and sick torben and material i mean you did it very successfully which is it appears that this was not the top priority for many voters in the european union who mentioned youth unemployment for example also climate change so why is that still your top priority if statistically it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore is obviously a problem because if you look to italy hungary. france great britain. parties that is top priority one the elections of course you'd germany is obviously different but you know i come from 6 something and we also don't number one party there so in my mind it is the number one priority. and we try to convince people to focus on that priority and not to focus on.