Far-right National Rally wins a French Senate group

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally has won enough seats in France's Senate to form its own parliamentary group in the upper house for the first time.

Nine National Rally senators were elected on Sunday, according to an AFP tally, adding to the three who won seats in 2023. Two more were elected from the Union of the Right for the Republic, the party of the National Rally's ally Eric Ciotti. Together, the National Rally and its allies hold 14 of the Senate's 348 seats.

Past the threshold

It is the first time the party has passed the ten-seat threshold needed to form a group in the Senate, which brings extra speaking time, resources and a stronger role in the chamber's work. The party's president, Jordan Bardella, said its senators would form a group with their allies from Ciotti's party.

Le Pen described the result as a "historic victory" and a "major milestone".

Conservatives stay in charge

Despite the gains, the centre-right Republicans and their allies were set to keep their majority in the Senate, which they have held for years.

How the Senate is elected

French senators are not chosen directly by voters. They are elected by about 160,000 local officials, most of them municipal councillors, and half of the seats come up for election every three years. That system has traditionally favoured established parties with deep roots in local government, which is why the National Rally's breakthrough in the Senate has been slower than its rise in the National Assembly.

Why it matters

The result gives the far right a new platform in French politics ahead of the presidential election due in 2027. The National Rally is already a major force in the National Assembly, the lower house, and its growing presence in the Senate extends its influence over how laws are scrutinised and amended.