With Europe the most unsettled it’s been in decades, European Union nations began voting on Thursday for members of the bloc’s Parliament.

Across the Continent, member nations have been rattled over the past five years by waves of nationalism and populism. In Italy, anti-migrant forces have gathered strength. In Austria, the far right helped cause the government to unravel. In Hungary, an authoritarian leader has chipped away at democracy.

In France, a banker-turned-president has squared off with people protesting inequality. In Germany, the chancellor hailed as Europe’s leader for a decade is preparing to step down. And in Britain, voters are electing candidates to a Parliament that the country has tried, and so far failed, to leave.

Here’s a guide to our coverage of the elections, the results of which are expected on Sunday.

The elections explained

• Voters will elect 751 members of the European Parliament to five-year terms, with the number of seats for each nation determined primarily by population. Europe’s transnational system of governance is complicated in the best of times, but we’ve broken it down — and explained the dynamics at play — in a guide you can read here.