Brussels: Following the poor performance of Belgium's ruling party, Open VLD party, in the recently-held national and European parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo resigned on Sunday. After tasting massive defeat, the 48-year-old leader could not hold back his tears while announcing resignation, in Brussels on Sunday night. 

"I was the figurehead of this campaign. This is not the result I had hoped for, and I therefore take responsibility for this result, it was not meant to be," a media outlet quoted him as saying.  

"As of tomorrow, I will be resigning as prime minister and I will fully concentrate on current affairs," he added. As per RTBF polling, the Open VLD party did not do well in the European Parliament and secured only 5.8 per cent of the votes. 

According to RTBF poll, the far-right Vlaams Belang party and the Flemish nationalist N-VA party polled the same percentage of the votes, 14.8 per cent and 14.2 per cent, respectively. In his address, De Croo stresses on his continued belief that Belgium "needs a new government with full powers that can take on its tasks" and vowed to facilitate a "proper transfer" of power to his successor. 

Meanwhile, voting across the European Union's 27 member states has concluded. The last votes were cast in Italy. The EU elections represent the world's second-largest democratic exercise, trailing only behind India's general elections in terms of scale. Almost 400 million electorate across the EU, the voters will elect 720 members of the European Parliament, extending from the Arctic Circle to the borders of Africa and Asia. 

The outcome of these polls will significantly influence global policies, ranging from climate change and defence to migration and international relations with major players like China and the United States.