Key facts
- The French far-right National Rally party and its allies will form their own caucus in the Senate.
- This is the first time the party has met the 10-seat threshold for a Senate caucus.
- Marine Le Pen, the party's leader, said the results exceeded expectations.
- Senators are elected by lawmakers in the National Assembly and local elected representatives.
- 178 of the Senate's 348 seats were contested in Sunday's election.
PARIS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - France's far-right National Rally party and its right-wing allies have won enough seats in Sunday's indirect election of senators to form their own caucus, party leaders announced. This marks the first time the party has cleared the 10-seat threshold required for a Senate caucus. Marine Le Pen, the party's leader and a presidential candidate for 2027, stated that the results "have exceeded our expectations." Opinion polls currently show the party leading for the first round of the 2027 presidential race. Senators are elected by lawmakers in the National Assembly and local elected representatives. Of the 348 seats in the upper chamber, 178 were up for grabs in Sunday's election.