France’s conservative Republicans retained their majority in the Senate on September 27, 2026, even as Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party quadrupled its presence in the upper house, securing a record 14 total seats and clearing the threshold to form its first-ever parliamentary group.
National Rally Clears Threshold for First Senate Group
Until the September 27 vote, the far-right National Rally remained a minor presence in the Senate, relegated to non-inscrits status in the upper house’s upper rooms. That structural hurdle vanished when the party secured nine new senatorial wins on Sunday. Combined with three seats won in 2023 and two additional seats gained from conservative allies, the far-right bloc reached a total of 14 seats in the 348-member chamber.
That tally cleared the 10-seat threshold required under Senate rules to form an official parliamentary caucus. The breakthrough grants the party significant new parliamentary tools, including dedicated office space, administrative staff, speaking time, and a legislative niche. Party leadership immediately framed the result as a crucial stepping stone ahead of next year's presidential contest.
“This is a historic victory, and a major milestone with the formation for the first time of a group in the Senate,” she said on X.
Marine Le Pen, RN presidential candidate
Conservatives Preserve Upper House Control Despite Losses
Despite the far-right surge, France’s traditional right-of-center parties successfully defended their institutional stronghold. The conservative Republicans party and its allies retained their legislative majority in the Senate following Sunday’s indirect elections. The Republicans secured at least 127 seats, dipping slightly from their previous 131, while allied groups and individuals held at least 72 seats.
Roughly half of the Senate’s 348 seats, or 178 positions, were up for renewal during the Sunday poll. Senators serve six-year terms, with the upper chamber staggering elections by half every three years through an indirect voting system. Approximately 93,500 grand electors—composed primarily of mayors and municipal councillors across France—cast ballots in the mandatory process.
Gérard Larcher, who has presided over the upper house for more than a decade, is expected to win re-election as Senate president during the upcoming week. The right, the political center, and left-wing Socialists remain the three dominant pillars of the chamber, though the conservative majority absorbed minor losses to insurgent factions.
Alliances with Dissident Conservatives Expand Far-Right Reach
National Rally president Jordan Bardella confirmed that the party’s newly elected senators will join forces with lawmakers from the Union of the Right for the Republic, a party founded by Eric Ciotti. Ciotti broke away from the traditional Republicans in 2024 after publicly advocating for a conservative alliance with the far right.
The addition of UDR senators bolstered the far-right’s parliamentary group to 15 members, placing it ahead of several smaller groups in the chamber. Bardella emphasized that the newly formed caucus intends to focus its legislative efforts on rural constituencies and municipal leaders.
Jordan Bardella, lors de la soirée électorale pour les élections sénatoriales, à La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var), le 27 septembre 2026.
Jordan Bardella, RN president
Historic First Entry for Hard-Left France Unbowed
While the upper house remained fundamentally right-leaning, Sunday’s voting introduced historic shifts across the political spectrum. The hard-left France Unbowed party secured its first-ever seat in the Palais du Luxembourg, with Gabriel Amard winning election in the Rhône department. Jean-Luc Mélenchon hailed the breakthrough on social media as an encouraging sign ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
At the same time, the Socialist Party maintained a stable foothold by securing wins in departments such as the Doubs and Hérault, while environmentalist groups lost two seats in regions including Gironde and Alsace. The shifting alignments arrive just months before the presidential election scheduled for April 2027, which follows centrist President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to step down.