France's far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies have secured a record 14 seats in the Senate elections, effectively quadrupling their presence in the 348-seat chamber. This outcome, announced on Sunday, marks the first time the party has cleared the 10-seat threshold required to form a Senate caucus.
RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen called the results an "historic victory," stating that they "have exceeded our expectations." Nine RN senators were elected on Sunday, adding to the three who won seats in 2023. A further two senators were elected from RN ally Eric Ciotti's Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) party.
Jordan Bardella, RN's president, confirmed that the party's senators would form a group with UDR allies. Local elected officials vote for new senators for half of the upper chamber every three years, with each serving a six-year term.