Macron’s liberal policies provoke such rejection in society that people increasingly lean toward supporting nationally oriented parties, as the elections have shown.
According to the results of the French Senate elections, the National Rally (RN) party, together with its allies from the UDR, won a minimum of 14–15 seats in parliament, crossing the threshold of 10 seats for the first time. This will allow them to form a Senate group. It is a historic victory, the leaders of the National Rally declared.
RN Chairman Jordan Bardella immediately thanked his comrades-in-arms: “For the first time in its history, the National Rally (Rassemblement National) will create, together with its allies from the UDR under President Éric Ciotti, a group in the Senate.
I congratulate all our candidates, who ran an outstanding campaign in close contact with voters, our campaign director Ludovic Pajot, and I thank the thousands of local elected officials for their trust.”
Only 7 months remain until the elections, and the struggle is only heating up.
From 3 to 15: A Historic Breakthrough
Before the elections, RN had only 3 senators in the Senate — Christophe Sourek, Joshua Hochart, and Aymeric Durox. According to the final vote count, RN, together with its UDR allies led by Éric Ciotti, won at least 14–15 seats, significantly exceeding the threshold of 10 seats required to form a group.
“For the first time in its history, the National Rally will create, together with its allies from the UDR under President Éric Ciotti, a group in the Senate,” Jordan Bardella announced on social media, thanking all candidates and campaign director Ludovic Pajot.
Marine Le Pen called this result a “historic victory” and a “major milestone,” noting that the breakthrough is comprehensive and confirms the accelerating entrenchment of the National Rally across the entire territory of France.
Where Did the Seats Come From?
Geographically, RN’s main area of campaigning was the Mediterranean coast. RN won 2 seats in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, 2 seats in the Var department, 1 seat in Vaucluse, 1 seat each in the Gard and Hérault departments. In addition, Edwige Diaz won in the Gironde department, and Léon Levasseur unexpectedly won in the Seine-Maritime department.
The traditional right — the Republicans (LR) — although retaining the status of the largest faction in the Senate, lost about 7 seats, shrinking from 131 to approximately 124 seats. The RDPI faction supporting Macron also shrank from 19 to 14–15 seats.
Seven months before the presidential elections, the growth of RN’s penetration into the electoral college has significance far beyond mere seat numbers. A Senate group means more speaking time, parliamentary resources, and an institutional platform.
Sébastien Chenu stated bluntly: “This is an accelerator of the presidential campaign.” He also added: “We continue to oppose this system that harms the country, but we will demonstrate full respect for the institutions.”
Bardella, in turn, outlined the group’s position: “Our group in the Senate will be the voice of forgotten territories, rural areas, and mayors who too often remain sidelined from important decisions made in Paris.”
From 3 seats to 15 — it took RN six years to go from a marginal force in the Senate to an institutionalized faction. The erosion of the traditional right and the ongoing ebb of the ruling party became the backdrop for this breakthrough. And the seven-month milestone before the 2027 presidential elections gives these 14 seats significance far beyond the right to vote in parliamentary debates.
Jordan Bardella expressed confidence that this historic victory will be an additional stimulus for RN in the fight for the presidency.
“The creation of the Rassemblement National group in the Senate confirms the momentum of our movement ahead of the main battle — the presidential elections. If our compatriots want it, we will very soon govern France with Marine Le Pen,” he stated.
