National Rally and allies reach Senate group threshold in France
The National Rally and Eric Ciotti’s UDR won 14 seats combined in indirect elections, clearing the threshold for a parliamentary group in the upper house.
France’s National Rally and its allies have won enough seats to form a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time. The parties secured 14 of the chamber’s 348 seats in Sunday’s indirect elections, according to France 24.
Nine National Rally candidates were elected, joining three party senators elected in 2023. Two candidates from Eric Ciotti’s Union of the Right for the Republic also won seats. RN president Jordan Bardella said the senators would form a group with UDR allies; the report does not confirm it has been formally constituted.
The result clears the 10-seat threshold for a Senate group. RN previously won two seats in 2014, when it was known as the National Front, and three in 2023.
Local elected officials choose senators, with half the upper house renewed every three years. Senators serve six-year terms.
Marine Le Pen called the result a “historic victory”. RN is the largest single party in the National Assembly but lacks a majority. The Senate result comes months before a presidential election.
