BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament elections that start Thursday have never been so hotly anticipated, with many predicting that this year's ballot could mark a coming-of-age moment for the euroskeptic far-right movement.

The elections, which run through Sunday and take place in all of the European Union's 28 nations, have never had stakes this high.

Europe's traditional political powerhouses — the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Socialists & Democrats — are set to lose some clout and face their strongest challenge yet from an array of populist, nationalist and far-right parties that are determined to claw back power from the EU and aim to fundamentally disrupt Europe's political landscape.