French Senate

France's far-right National Rally announced it has secured enough seats to form a group in the Senate for the first time in its history, following the senatorial elections. The breakthrough would give the party greater institutional weight, speaking time and committee positions in the upper house, and marks a new step in its expansion beyond the National Assembly.

French voters are heading to the polls in the 2026 Senate elections, with grand electors in around sixty departments called to cast ballots. The vote is the last nationwide election before the 2027 presidential election, giving it added political weight. French media are providing live coverage of the results and what they mean for the balance of the upper house.

The Rassemblement National will form a parliamentary group in the French Senate for the first time, with at least 10 senators following indirect elections. The party won a seat in Gironde, another in Var, and two seats in Bouches-du-Rhône. Commentators describe the milestone as a first step in the far-right party's institutional expansion, long dominated by mainstream parties.

Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, has pledged not to attack Jean-Luc Mélenchon too harshly ahead of the presidential election. His campaign director, senator Ian Brossat, told La Tribune that "we will not fall into aggressiveness." The olive branch toward the veteran left-wing rival is drawing attention as the French left weighs unity against competition in the race.