European elections - in pictures

Nicolas Sarkozy waves to supporters at a voting station in Paris Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Voters clutch their ballots at a polling station in Cvitavecchia, outside Rome. Italians went to the polls today in local elections that will provide the first test for Prime Minister Mario Monti's increasingly unpopular austerity policies Photograph: Giampiero Sposito/Reuters

A man studies a list of election candidates at a polling station in Cvitavecchia, Italy Photograph: Giampiero Sposito/Reuters

Top candidate Jost de Jager of the German Christian Democrats, for the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein addresses the media after voting in Eckernförde, Germany Photograph: Axel Heimken/AP

A dog waits under a table while its owner votes in the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein at Buedelsdorf, Germany Photograph: Joerg Sarbach/AP

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn votes in Sarcelles, France Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

A woman prepares her ballot at a polling station in Belgrade Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

Leader of the Left Coalition party Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, votes in Greece's general election in Athens Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

A French national residing in Israel casts his vote at a polling station in the French consulate in Tel Aviv Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Greek Socialist party leader Evaggelos Venizelos stands in the voting booth Photograph: Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images

A voter is helped to cast his ballot during elections in Belgrade. Serbia is holding presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections Photograph: Marko Drobnjakovic/AP

Democratic party leader and former president Boris Tadic casts his ballot at a polling station in central Belgrade Photograph: Darko Vojinovic/AP

A man leaves a polling station after voting in Greece's national election in Athens Photograph: Kevin Coombs/Reuters

Women leave the voting booth in Saint-Denis de la Reunion, for the second round of the French presidential election Photograph: Richard Bouhet/AFP/Getty Images

Officials work at a polling station in Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana. Overseas French citizens cast their ballots the day before mainland France Photograph: Ronan Lietar/Reuters

France's Socialist party candidate François Hollande and his partner Valérie Trierweiler leave the polling station after voting in the second round of the presidential election Photograph: Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images

A Greek Orthodox priest holds his ballot paper at an Athens primary school used as a polling station Photograph: Yannis Behrakis/Reuters

Former conservative prime minister Costas Karamanlis casts his ballot in Thessaloniki, northern Greece Photograph: Giorgos Nissiotis/AP

People queue to vote at a polling station in Papeete, on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti Photograph: Gregory Boissy/AFP/Getty Images

A scrutineer shows the ballot he found which reads Jesus Christ while counting the ballots at a polling station in Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana Photograph: Jody Amiet/AFP/Getty Images

Greek Socialist party leader Evaggelos Venizelos shakes hands with supporters after voting in the general elections at a polling station in Thessaloniki Photograph: Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images

People check voting lists outside a polling station in Thessaloniki, northern Greece Photograph: Nikolas Giakoumidis/AP