National Rally allies secure first Senate group in France
The combined 14-seat result gives the National Rally and its allies enough support to form a parliamentary group in the 348-seat chamber.
France’s National Rally and its allies won a record 14 seats in Sunday’s indirect Senate election, clearing the threshold for the party to form its own parliamentary group for the first time. The results are initial, and the final seat count and composition remain to be confirmed.
The Al Jazeera report said the combined total was secured by the National Rally and its allies; it did not specify how many seats belong to the party alone. RN president Jordan Bardella said its senators would ally with the Union of the Right for the Republic.
The result marks a step up from RN’s previous Senate representation: the party, then called the National Front, entered the chamber with two seats in 2014 and won three in 2023.
RN became the largest party in the National Assembly after the 2024 snap election, but fell short of a majority. The right, centre and left-wing Socialists looked set to remain the Senate’s three major forces, according to initial results.
Marine Le Pen is preparing to run in next year’s presidential election, when President Emmanuel Macron is due to step down.
