France holds partial Senate elections, choosing more than half of upper house lawmakers

Polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. Paris time on Sunday across more than half of France's departments, as the country held elections to choose 178 of the Senate's 348 members for a new six-year term.

Unlike many elections, French senators are not chosen directly by citizens. Instead, they are selected by an electoral college of more than 93,000 people, most of them municipal councillors.

Voting is taking place in 58 mainland French departments, two departments on Corsica, French Guiana, and four overseas territories. Six seats representing French citizens living abroad are also being contested.

Current balance of power

Conservatives currently dominate the Senate, with the Republicans holding the largest bloc at 131 seats. President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party holds 19 seats.

Analysts do not expect major shifts in the overall balance of power, though some reshuffling within the right-wing majority is considered likely, with the Republicans potentially losing a number of seats.

Possible breakthrough for Le Pen's party

The election carries particular significance for Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally. If the party wins ten seats, it would be able to form a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time — it currently holds only three.

This is the last Senate election before France's presidential vote in spring 2027. Polls currently show Le Pen leading her rivals by a significant margin ahead of that race.