France is holding a partial election for the Senate, the upper house of parliament. About 93,500 municipal and regional politicians are eligible to vote. The election will fill 178 of the Senate’s 348 seats. Senators serve six-year terms, and about half the chamber is renewed every three years.
A major shift in power is not expected. Conservatives currently dominate the Senate, where the Republicans (Les Républicains) are the largest group with 131 members. President Emmanuel Macron’s camp holds 19 seats. The likely changes are seen as shifts within the right-wing majority; the Republicans could lose some seats.
The main question is whether Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) can win enough seats to form a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time. It needs 10 seats and currently has three. A group would give the party additional rights in the upper chamber. Le Pen also plans to run in the presidential election, scheduled in seven months.
The Senate takes part in lawmaking, but when it disagrees with the National Assembly, the lower house has the final say.