Polling under way in NI for European and local elections

Polling is under way in Northern Ireland today for the one million registered voters to select their three representatives in the European Parliament. Local elections are also taking place.

Voters are casting their ballots in 612 polling stations throughout the North, under the watchful eye of over 1,500 polling staff. Registration procedures have been greatly tightened following accusations of major electoral fraud in the last Assembly elections.

The votes will not be counted until Sunday. The results are expected on Monday afternoon.

There are seven candidates contesting the three seats. They are sitting MEP Mr Jim Nicholson of the Ulster Unionist Party; the Democratic Unionist Party's Mr Jim Allister; Ms Bairbre De Brún of Sinn Féin; Independent Mr John Gilliland; the SDLP's Mr Martin Morgan; Mr Eamonn McCann of the Socialist Environmental Alliance and Ms Lindsay Whitcroft from the Green Party.

At least two of those elected will be first-time MEPs, as the SDLP's Mr John Hume and the DUP's Rev Ian Paisley are not standing for re-election.

Local elections are also taking place today.

The PSNI has appealed for a trouble-free election.  There was violence in Derry last November when police were attacked as they removed Assembly election ballot boxes at one polling station.

Over the next four days, nearly 349 million European Union citizens  in the 25 member states will elect 732 members to the Strasbourg-based assembly.

People in ten new member states, mainly in formerly communist eastern Europe, will be voting in the election for the first time after the EU expanded in May to form a bloc of 454 million people.

The Netherlands and Britain are the first to cast ballots in what will also be a string of mid-term verdicts on national governments, fought mainly on domestic issues.

Ireland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia and Malta will vote tomorrow and Saturday. Other states will vote on Sunday.

Most governments face a protest vote with low turnout.  Anger at slow economic growth and high unemployment, and disgruntlement with Brussels, the EU "capital", may fuel discontent.

Additional reporting: Reuters