FranceâÂÂs far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies have secured a record 14 seats in the Senate, effectively quadrupling its number in the 348-seat chamber just months before a presidential election.
SundayâÂÂs indirect election â of senators marked the first time Marine Le PenâÂÂs party won enough seats to form its own caucus.
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âÂÂThe results have exceeded our expectations,â Le Pen, the partyâÂÂs leader and presidential candidate, said in a post on X.
âÂÂThis is a historic victory, and a major milestone with the formation for the first time of a group in the Senate.âÂÂ
RN entered the Senate for the first time with two seats in 2014, when it was known as the National Front, and won three seats in 2023.
It emerged as the single largest party in the lower-house National Assembly after President Emmanuel Macron called snap polls in 2024, though it fell well short of a majority.
Le Pen is preparing to run in next yearâÂÂs presidential election when centrist Macron steps down.
RN president Jordan Bardella said the partyâÂÂs senators would form an alliance with the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR).
The right, centre and left-wing Socialists looked set to remain the three major forces in the upper house, according to initial results.