France's Far Right Expands Its Influence Again as National Rally Forms Its First-Ever Senate Parliamentary Group

[Financial News] France's far-right National Rally (RN) achieved its best-ever result in the Senate election held on September 27 local time, enabling it to form a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time.
Ahead of next year's presidential election, the party has established an independent presence in both chambers of parliament, strengthening its image as a party ready to govern the country.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the RN won nine seats in the Senate election, in which half of the chamber's 348 seats were up for election.
The RN first entered the Senate in 2014 with two seats and secured only three in the previous election in 2023. Three years later, it has tripled its representation to 12 seats, meeting the minimum requirement of 10 members to form a parliamentary group in the Senate.
Two senators from the RN's allied Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) were also elected.
Marine Le Pen, the RN's de facto leader and its candidate in next year's presidential election, celebrated the results in a post on X, calling them a "historic victory" and an "important milestone." She added, "The results exceeded expectations and prove that the RN's standing is gaining momentum across the country."
Le Pen continued, "Together with our UDR allies, our senators will serve as a crucial bridge during the presidential campaign by representing and championing the voices of each region, and in a few months, placing them once again at the heart of policy priorities and public policy."
Public Sénat reported that RN leader Jordan Bardella told reporters after the election results were announced, "This is another step toward Le Pen's election as president next year," adding, "The RN has a mission to become a major party representing the communities of the future."
The French Senate is responsible for amending and passing legislation, reviewing treaties and overseeing the government. When the Senate and the National Assembly disagree, the National Assembly has the final say.

Senators serve six-year terms, with half of the seats replaced every three years through indirect elections. This year, 178 of the 348 seats were up for election. About 93,000 members of an electoral college, including National Assembly members, local councilors and heads of local governments, took part in the vote.
The results are therefore being interpreted as a sign that the RN is expanding its local organizational base, rather than merely enjoying strong nationwide support. For the RN, the election produced an important political asset ahead of next year's presidential election by helping it establish an image as a nationwide party among voters.
RN lawmaker Marine Le Pen is leading the polls by a wide margin over her rivals among potential candidates in next year's presidential election.
According to a poll conducted by Cluster17 on September 15 and 16 among 2,045 French adults and released on September 24, the share of respondents who said they would support Le Pen in the first round stood at 30% to 31% across several scenarios. That was more than 10 percentage points ahead of the candidates in second place.
However, key variables that could determine the final outcome include which candidate will finish second and advance to the runoff, as well as how strongly other parties will unite against Le Pen in the runoff.
[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs specialist Reporter