France's National Rally wins record 14 Senate seats, forms first caucus

September 28, 2026 at 01:10 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

France's far-right National Rally and its allies won a record 14 seats in the Senate on Sunday, quadrupling their presence in the 348-seat chamber. The result allows Marine Le Pen's party to form its own caucus for the first time. The vote comes months before a presidential election in which Le Pen is expected to run.

Key Facts

The National Rally and its allies secured 14 seats in the 348-seat Senate, quadrupling their previous total.
The party won enough seats to form its own caucus for the first time since entering the Senate in 2014.
Marine Le Pen called the result a 'historic victory' and a 'major milestone' in a post on X.
RN president Jordan Bardella said the party's senators would form an alliance with the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR).
The right, centre and left-wing Socialists were set to remain the three major forces in the upper house, according to initial results.

Senate Election Results

Sunday's indirect election of senators marked the first time Marine Le Pen's party won enough seats to form its own caucus. RN entered the Senate for the first time with two seats in 2014, when it was known as the National Front, and won three seats in 2023. The party emerged as the single largest party in the lower-house National Assembly after President Emmanuel Macron called snap polls in 2024, though it fell well short of a majority.

Political Reactions

Le Pen, the party's leader and presidential candidate, said the results exceeded expectations in a post on X. She described the outcome as a historic victory and a major milestone with the formation for the first time of a group in the Senate. RN president Jordan Bardella said the party's senators would form an alliance with the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR).

Presidential Election Context

Le Pen is preparing to run in next year's presidential election when centrist Macron steps down. The right, centre and left-wing Socialists looked set to remain the three major forces in the upper house, according to initial results.