France holds elections for over half of Senate seats
On Sunday, France is holding indirect elections in half of its departments to fill 178 of the 348 seats in the Senate for the next six years. The vote could shift the balance within the right-wing majority and allow Marine Le Pen's party to form its first parliamentary group in the upper chamber.
Polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. Paris time on Sunday in half of France's departments as voters selected 178 of the 348 members of the Senate, the upper house of the French parliament. The news was reported by BFMTV, according to "European Pravda."
Unlike many elections, French senators are not chosen directly by citizens in a nationwide vote. Instead, an electoral college of more than 93,000 people — mostly municipal councillors — casts the ballots. Senators elected on Sunday will serve six-year terms.
Voting is taking place across 58 mainland French departments, two departments in Corsica, French Guiana, and four overseas territories. Six seats representing French citizens living abroad are also up for re-election.
Current balance of power
Conservatives currently dominate the Senate, with the Republicans holding the largest bloc at 131 seats. President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party holds 19 seats.
No major shift in the overall distribution of power is expected from this election, though a reshuffling within the right-wing majority is considered likely, with the Republicans potentially losing some seats.
The vote carries particular significance for Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, which could gain enough seats to form its first-ever parliamentary group in the Senate. Doing so requires ten seats, while the party currently holds only three.
This is the last Senate election before France's presidential election in spring 2027. Polls currently show Le Pen leading her rivals by a significant margin ahead of that vote.
