The centre-right European People's Party (EPP) is forecast to hold the most seats in the European Parliament at 181, according to the first official EU-wide projections on Sunday.
The result, based on national estimates from 11 EU countries so far, firms up Ursula von der Leyen's chance of a second term as European Commission president.
The strong showing for the EPP fends off a challenge from the far-right groups in the parliament that polled an estimated 133 seats, a gain of some 15 seats compared to the last elections in 2019.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is set to win an estimated 16 seats.
Von der Leyen needs to gather together support from a range of political groups, extending from the centre-left to the centre-right, to have her appointement backed by the European Parliament.
There are 720 seats up for grabs in the EU legislature, meaning von der Leyen needs 361 seats for a majority.