National Rally Quadruples Senate Seats in Historic French Election Win

France's far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies captured a record 14 seats in Sunday's Senate elections, quadrupling their presence in the 348-seat chamber. The result gives the party its first-ever parliamentary group in the upper house. Marine Le Pen, the RN's presidential candidate, called the outcome a "historic victory." The elections, held every three years, task local elected officials with choosing new senators for half the chamber, each serving six-year terms. The far-right first entered the Senate in 2014 with two seats under the National Front name, then won three seats in 2023. The breakthrough comes months before a presidential election in which Le Pen is expected to run, and as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to step down. The Senate remains dominated by right-wing parties, but the RN's expanded footprint signals deepening far-right influence in French institutions.