France’s Senate election on Sunday puts 178 of the chamber’s 348 seats up for an indirect vote by about 93,500 elected officials. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, which holds three seats, needs seven more to reach the 10-seat threshold for its first parliamentary group.
The Senate is currently dominated by conservatives: the Republicans (LR) hold 131 seats, while President Emmanuel Macron’s camp has 19. No major shift in power is expected, though a realignment within the right-wing majority is considered likely and LR could lose a few seats.
Reaching the threshold would give the National Rally more rights in the Senate. The upper house participates in lawmaking but must defer to the National Assembly if the two chambers disagree.
