On Sept. 27 France held partial Senate renewals, with 178 of 348 seats contested and 1,686 candidates; it was the last nationwide vote before the 2027 presidential election. Early results published that evening saw National Rally leader Bardella say the party expects to secure at least 10 senators in concert with the Republicans and the broader right, reaching the threshold needed to form a Senate parliamentary group for the first time; final seat allocations remain pending. The Senate has long

On Sept. 27 France held partial Senate renewals, with 178 of 348 seats contested and 1,686 candidates; it was the last nationwide vote before the 2027 presidential election. Early results published that evening saw National Rally leader Bardella say the party expects to secure at least 10 senators in concert with the Republicans and the broader right, reaching the threshold needed to form a Senate parliamentary group for the first time; final seat allocations remain pending. The Senate has long been dominated by the Republicans and centre-right; senators are chosen indirectly by local elected officials, so any shift will reflect parties' municipal-level strength.