14 Senate Seats: National Rally Forms Its First Group in France's Upper Chamber
September 28, 2026 · Frisian News
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
National Rally and its UDR allies won 14 Senate seats on 27 September 2026, forming a parliamentary group in France's upper chamber for the first time in the party's history, less than seven months before the presidential election.
Fourteen. That is the confirmed number of senators the Rassemblement national and its UDR allies secured on Sunday, according to RN deputy Sébastien Chenu, who announced the total on Public Sénat as reported by Le JDD. The figure clears by four the ten-seat floor that franceinfo identified as necessary to form a parliamentary group, a threshold the party had never crossed.
Half-renewed every three years by a college of local elected officials, the Senate at the Palais du Luxembourg had never before given the RN a parliamentary group. Sunday changed that.
Marine Le Pen, posting on X before the final count was confirmed, called the result "une victoire historique et une étape majeure" and said outcomes had gone "beyond what we could have hoped for," as quoted by franceinfo. The vote came less than seven months before the presidential election, as franceinfo noted.
The arithmetic is specific. Le JDD's live results showed RN entered Sunday with three senators from the 2020 round already in place. Sunday added two seats in Bouches-du-Rhône, two in the Var where the RN-led list polled 30.20 percent at the second round, one each in the Gard, the Hérault and the Vaucluse. In Gironde, RN vice-president Edwige Diaz, already a National Assembly deputy for that same department, took 19.63 percent at the second round, Le JDD reported. In Seine-Maritime, Léon Levasseur won with 13.11 percent.
Of the Senate's 348 seats, 178 were up for renewal on Sunday, according to L'Humanité. The centre and traditional right held their ground elsewhere. Bruno Retailleau, the LR presidential candidate, was re-elected in Vendée in the first round with 62.48 percent, Le JDD reported. La France insoumise also recorded a first: Gabriel Amard won in the Rhône, giving LFI its Senate debut. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, LFI's presidential candidate, hailed it as a "happy omen for 2027," per Le JDD.
UDR president Éric Ciotti predicted "une quinzaine" senators in the combined RN-UDR bloc, according to Le JDD, and said the group would challenge what he called "the immobile and powerless conformism that characterises the Senate."
Not every Le Pen performed well. Marine's sister Marie-Caroline, standing in the Sarthe in her first Senate race, finished fourth with 12.55 percent of the second-round vote according to Le JDD, and did not enter the chamber.
Jordan Bardella, RN president, wrote on X that the new group would "carry the voice of forgotten territories, of rural France, and of mayors too often kept away from the big decisions made in Paris," as quoted by franceinfo. Reaching ten senators, as franceinfo explained, gives a party the formal standing to weigh in on debates and legislative work at the Palais du Luxembourg.
France votes for a president in under seven months. The Senate does not elect one.
FryskFjirtjin. Dat is it befêstige oantal senateurs dat it Rassemblement national en syn UDR-bûnsgenoaten snein wûnen, neffens RN-ôffurdige Sébastien Chenu, dy't it totaal oankundige op Public Sénat sa't Le JDD rapportearre. It oantal leit fjouwer boppe de drompel fan tsien sitten dy't franceinfo neamde as needsaaklik om in parsemantsgroep te foarmjen, in drompel dy't de partij nea earder helle hie.
De Senaat yn it Paleis du Luxembourg, dy't elke trije jier foar de helte fernijd wurdt troch in kollege fan lokale fertsjintwurdigers, hie it RN noch nea earder in parsemantsgroep jûn. Snein feroare dat.
Marine Le Pen, dy't op X skreau foardat de einútslach befêstige wie, neamde de útslach 'une victoire historique et une étape majeure' en sei dat de útkomsten 'fierder giene as wêr't wy op hoopje koene', sa't franceinfo siteare. De stimming kaam minder as sân moannen foar de presidintsferkiezing, lykas franceinfo opmerkte.
De sifers binne spesifyk. De live-útslach fan Le JDD liet sjen dat it RN snein begûn mei trije senateurs fan de ronde fan 2020 dy't al op har plak sieten. Snein kamen der twa sitten by yn Bouches-du-Rhône, twa yn de Var dêr't de list ûnder lieding fan it RN 30,20 prosint helle by de twadde ronde, ien yn de Gard, ien yn de Hérault en ien yn de Vaucluse. Yn de Gironde helle RN-fise-presidint Edwige Diaz, dy't al Nasjonale Gearkomste-ôffurdige is foar dat selde departement, 19,63 prosint by de twadde ronde, sa't Le JDD rapportearre. Yn Seine-Maritime wûn Léon Levasseur mei 13,11 prosint.
Fan de 348 sitten fan de Senaat kamen snein 178 oan bar foar fernijing, neffens L'Humanité. It sintrum en de tradisjonele rjochts holden elders har grûn fêst. Bruno Retailleau, de LR-presidintskandidaat, waard yn de Vendée al yn de earste ronde werkeazen mei 62,48 prosint, sa't Le JDD rapportearre. La France insoumise boekte ek in primeur: Gabriel Amard wûn yn de Rhône, en joech LFI syn Senaat-debút. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, de presidintskandidaat fan LFI, priizge it as in 'lokkich omen foar 2027', neffens Le JDD.
UDR-presidint Éric Ciotti foarsei 'une quinzaine' senateurs yn it kombinearre RN-UDR-blok, neffens Le JDD, en sei dat de groep útdaagje soe wat hy neamde 'it ûnbeweechlike en machteloaze konformisme dat de Senaat karakterisearret'.
Net elke Le Pen die it goed. Marine har suster Marie-Caroline, dy't yn de Sarthe meidied oan har earste Senaat-striid, einige as fjirde mei 12,55 prosint fan de stimmen yn de twadde ronde neffens Le JDD, en kaam net yn de keamer.
Jordan Bardella, RN-presidint, skreau op X dat de nije groep 'de stim drage soe fan ferjitten gebieten, fan it plattelân fan Frankryk, en fan boargemasters dy't te faak bûten de grutte beslissingen holden wurde dy't yn Parys naam wurde', sa't franceinfo siteare. It berikken fan tsien senateurs, sa't franceinfo útlei, jout in partij de formele mooglikheid om diel te nimmen oan debatten en wetjouwingswurk yn it Paleis du Luxembourg.
Frankryk stimt foar in presidint yn minder as sân moannen. De Senaat kiest gjin presidint.
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Published September 28, 2026 · Frisian News