French far right wins 15 Senate seats, enough to form group for 1st time

France’s far-right National Rally (RN) and its ally, Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), won 15 seats in Sunday’s Senate elections, giving them enough lawmakers to form a group in the upper house for the first time, Franceinfo reported Monday.

RN leader Marine Le Pen called the result a “historic victory.” The gains followed advances by the alliance in municipal elections and came less than seven months before France’s presidential election.

The RN-UDR alliance won nine seats in the Mediterranean region, including seven in Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, according to Franceinfo. RN lawmaker Sebastien Chenu said the result “completes our presence in all French institutions.”

Under Senate rules, a political group must have at least 10 members. Forming one gives parties more speaking time and resources, as well as a greater role in parliamentary work.

The right, center and Socialist Party are expected to remain the Senate’s three largest forces. The conservative Republicans could lose about seven seats, according to a partial count cited by Franceinfo, with affiliations and some overseas results still pending.

The election also brought left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) into the Senate for the first time, with Gabriel Amard winning a seat in the Rhone department. The party has also claimed a second senator, Marc Pere in Haute-Garonne, though his party affiliation remains disputed.