0
Supporters wave flags during a political rally for Marine Le Pen, a member of the National Assembly representing the National Rally (RN), held in Henin-Beaumont, France, on the 13th local time. / AP, Yonhap

France's far-right National Rally (RN) made major gains in the Senate elections on the 27th local time, meeting the threshold to form a parliamentary group for the first time in its history.

The RN has been expanding its influence through this election while solidifying a strong standing as a single party, including topping various polls ahead of France's presidential election next year.

According to AFP, the RN produced nine winners in the election to contest 178 of the Senate's total 348 seats. Combining these with the three members elected in 2023, the party secured a total of 12 seats in the upper house.

Holding more than the 10 seats required to establish a parliamentary group, the RN plans to form the group jointly with its ally, the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), which won two seats in the election.

The election outcome is viewed as demonstrating that the RN is expanding its clout across local networks on the back of nationwide support.

Marine Le Pen, a member of the National Assembly who serves as the RN's de facto leader and presidential candidate, praised the results on social media the same day, calling them "a historic victory and a major breakthrough" that "confirms the acceleration of the expansion of the RN's support base nationwide."

Representative Le Pen has recently commanded a dominant lead in polls measuring support for next year's presidential candidates. She is projected to face a strong opportunity to take power in the first round of the presidential election on April 18 next year, when centrist President Emmanuel Macron leaves office.

The French Senate revises legislation and oversees the government, yielding final decision-making power to the National Assembly when the two chambers disagree.

Senators serve six-year terms, with half of the total seats up for renewal every three years through indirect elections. The electoral college taking part in the vote comprises about 93,000 members, including National Assembly deputies, regional councilors, and local government heads.

                                                                                                            Kim Hyun-min