Opposition parties were leading in the European election in Latvia Saturday, according to an exit poll released by the local news agency unusually while voting was still underway in the country.

Twenty-nine percent had voted for the right-wing free market oriented Fatherlands and Freedom party by midday, and 20.67 percent supported the centre-right New Era party of Einars Repse, who resigned as prime minister last October, the news agency LETA said.

New Era has been pressing for fresh general elections in the country.

Some 9.67 percent voted for the Russian-speaking minority's Human Rights in United Latvia, the nationwide poll of 1,045 voters found.

About 6.51 percent voted for Farmers and Greens of the current prime minister Indulis Emsis, and 5.45 percent for the centre-right People's party, which are represented in the current government, it added.

Sixteen parties and 245 candidates are taking part in the election to choose Latvia's first nine members ban of the European Parliament.

Many European countries ban the publication of opinion poll results while voting is underway in case it influences the outcome.

Latvia's central election commission said it was up to lawmakers in the fledgling democracy to decide about the practice in the absence of clear laws.

"This is a private initiative and does not violate the EU line not to publish results until Sunday's close," Arnis Cimdars, the chairman of Latvia's central election commission told AFP.

"However, my personal opinion is that exit polls results should better be published at the end of the voting day," he added.

Voting offices in Latvia will be open until 22:00 local time (1900 GMT) and provisional results are due to be published after voting has closed in the rest of the European Union late on Sunday.

"We did not receive any complaints or instructions that we cannot do it," Peteris Zirnis, editor-in-chief of LETA told AFP.