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Politics

France's National Rally secures enough Senate seats to form parliamentary group

Far-right party and allies win 14 seats in indirect elections, reaching caucus threshold for the first time

Updated Sep 28, 2026 · 02:11 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • France's far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies won 14 seats in the 348-seat Senate following indirect elections on Sunday.[France 24 · The Guardian]
  • The result allows RN to clear the 10-seat threshold to form its first official parliamentary caucus in the upper house.[France 24 · The Guardian]
  • RN senators plan to form a group alongside two elected members from Eric Ciotti's Union of the Right for the Republic party.[France 24 · The Guardian]
  • Despite the far-right gains, the traditional right, center, and left-wing Socialists are set to remain the main forces in the upper house.[The Guardian]

Key facts

  • National Rally and its allies secured 14 seats out of 348 in the French Senate election.[France 24 · The Guardian]
  • Nine RN senators were elected on Sunday to join the three elected in 2023, while two seats went to allies in the Union of the Right for the Republic.[France 24 · The Guardian]
  • The hard-left France Unbowed party secured a Senate seat for the first time.[The Guardian]
  • Incumbent Senate President Gerard Larcher of Les Républicains is expected to seek re-election next week.[France 24 · The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Initial results indicate the traditional right, center, and Socialist parties will remain the primary forces in the Senate, pending final counts and leadership elections.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.