What Marine Le Pen’s senate wins mean for the far-right in France’s presidential elections
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies secured an historic victory in the Senate this weekend, setting the tone for the looming 2027 presidential elections.
Nine RN senators from Marine Le Pen’s party were elected on Sunday, while two more were chosen from the allied Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) party. With the three seats the RN won in 2023, the caucus now has a record 14 seats in the upper chamber of parliament.
“The results go beyond what we could have hoped for; the breakthrough is widespread, confirming the acceleration of the National Rally’s establishment across the entire territory,” the party’s leader and presidential candidate wrote on social media.
Holding more than 10 seats means that Le Pen’s party will, for the first time, be able to form an official bloc with the UDR in senate. But the right, centre and left-wing Socialists still remain the largest parties in the chamber.
Analysts said the results are a “significant milestone” for the RN as it continues to build momentum ahead of next year’s elections. The Independent looks at what it means for France, with president Emmanuel Macron set to stand down next year.
French senators serve a six year term, with half of the 348-seat upper chamber up for election every three years.
They are indirectly elected by local elected officials and make up half of the French parliament – the other being the National Assembly, which is elected by the public.
The government primarily relies on its deputies in the lower chamber to pass legislation, but senators also scrutinise, debate and amend proposed new laws.
In function, the deputies are comparable to British MPs. Senators may look like Lords, but are elected and represent France’s territorial authorities, holding an electoral mandate.
As only 178 of the 348 seats were up for re-election this weekend, votes took place in 64 of France’s 101 departments, and for some of the seats representing French citizens living abroad.
The centre-right Republican party and its allies were set to retain a majority with 128 seats, down from 134, and allies will have 74 seats, up from 73, according to initial results via Le Monde.
The Left is the next biggest faction, winning 74 seats – but that also reflects a loss from the 78 secured last time. The centre retained its 24 seats from 2023.
David Lees, reader in French studies, told The Independent: “Only elected local officials may vote, which means that this gives us only a limited picture of the popular mood. Nonetheless, the fact that the far-right now has its own ‘group’ within the Senate is significant.”
He said it was surprising that the Republicans fared so well in light of recent corruption scandals, especially those surrounding former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
