French right retains Senate majority as National Rally gains

France’s Senate election on September 27 left the broader right-wing majority in control of the upper chamber while giving the National Rally and its ally, the Union of the Right for the Republic, enough seats to form a parliamentary group for the first time, according to reported results. The vote renewed 178 of the Senate’s 348 seats. Senators are chosen indirectly by local elected officials, rather than by direct nationwide ballot. The National Rally won nine seats, adding to the three it already held. Reports differ on whether the UDR won two or three seats, leaving the parties’ combined total unsettled at at least 14 or 15. Both parties have said they intend to form a group. The Republicans remained the chamber’s largest political force, and the broader right-wing majority retained control despite the National Rally’s gains. Reported post-election figures for the Republicans and their centrist allies vary, and the final balance among some groups remained unclear. The election therefore marked a change in the National Rally’s parliamentary presence without overturning control of the Senate.