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France’s National Rally and its right-wing allies secured enough seats in Sunday’s Senate election to establish their own parliamentary caucus for the first time, marking a new milestone for the party ahead of the 2027 French presidential election.
The far-right party said the election results pushed it above the 10-seat threshold required to form an official group in the French Senate. Having its own caucus gives the National Rally additional parliamentary rights, including the ability of group leaders to request votes.
“The results have exceeded our expectations,” National Rally leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said in a post on X following the vote.
The result comes as Le Pen prepares for another presidential campaign in spring 2027. Recent opinion polls cited in reports have placed the National Rally ahead in the first round, although previous far-right presidential candidates who advanced to the runoff have failed to win France’s highest elected office.
France’s Senate has 348 seats, with 178 contested in Sunday’s indirect election. The National Rally did not immediately disclose the exact number of seats secured by the party and its allied candidates.
Unlike members of France’s National Assembly, senators are not elected directly by the general public. Instead, they are chosen by an electoral college made up primarily of local elected officials, along with lawmakers from the National Assembly and other representatives.
The National Rally’s ability to establish a Senate group expands its institutional presence in French politics as attention increasingly turns toward the 2027 presidential contest.
While the Senate has traditionally been dominated by established center-right and centrist political forces, the National Rally has sought to increase its representation at both the national and local levels.
The latest Senate gains provide the party with a formal parliamentary group in the upper chamber as France enters a politically significant period ahead of the next presidential election.
