On 27 September 2026, partial Senate elections were held in France. The far-right party National Rally (Rassemblement National), together with its allies, for the first time in its history crossed the threshold of 10 seats required to create its own parliamentary group.
According to the results of the vote, Marine Le Pen's party and its allies from Éric Ciotti's Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) won a total of at least 14–15 seats in the upper house of parliament, which has 348 senators in all. Previously, the National Rally had only three seats.
The elections were held under an indirect system: 178 of the 348 seats were contested by a college of local elected officials. Nine new senators were elected directly from the party, and two more from its allies.
Marine Le Pen called the result a "historic victory and an important milestone." She stressed that the outcome exceeded expectations and confirms the party's accelerated establishment across the country. Jordan Bardella also welcomed the formation of the group together with the UDR.
Creating a group provides additional opportunities: more speaking time, funding for staff, and the right to request the creation of an investigative commission each year. How will this affect the party's position ahead of the 2027 presidential election?
The Senate remains under the control of the alliance of conservatives from The Republicans and centrists, although they lost several seats. At the same time, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's left-radical movement France Unbowed won one seat for the first time.
The party entered the Senate for the first time in 2014 (then still under the name National Front) with two seats, and in 2023 it increased its representation to three. The current breakthrough was the result of successes in local elections and the strengthening of its positions in the regions, especially in the south of the country.
The new senators will take up their duties on 1 October, and group lists must be submitted by 5 October. For the National Rally, this is a step toward greater influence in the upper house on the eve of key political events.
