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France’s Senate remains dominated by conservatives
Voting booths for the French Senate elections in the Paris City Hall. photo
© Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/dpa
Every three years, around half of the seats in the French Senate are filled. This time the conservatives prevailed again in the elections. President Macron’s party is recording less success.
After the partial election of the French Senate, the balance of power in the parliamentary chamber is unlikely to shift. The civil right retained the majority, French media reported, referring to the individual results on Monday. The vote once again revealed the lack of local anchoring of French President Emmanuel Macron’s camp.
Around 77,000 local and regional politicians were called to vote on Sunday. 170 of the 348 seats in the upper house of parliament were reassigned. When asked, the Senate said that the parliamentary groups would not meet until the beginning of October. Exact number of seats cannot yet be communicated.
The leader of the Républicains group, Bruno Retailleau, wrote on Platform X that his party continues to be the largest group in the Senate. The elections strengthened the current majority. According to reports, the Républicains are likely to get 143 or 144 seats, only marginally fewer than the previous 145.
The former People’s Party of Socialists, which is still well represented in the area, also expects to hold on to its 64 seats, as its parliamentary group leader in the Senate, Patrick Kanner, said. The left camp could break the 100 senator mark overall. There was also joy among the right-wing nationalists around Marine Le Pen, who managed to get back into the chamber. However, the Rassemblement National will not have its own parliamentary group with three senators.
Macron’s party with only four positions awarded
The election brought less success for President Macron. Of the 170 Senate positions now awarded, only four went to candidates from his party’s ranks, and their faction could reportedly shrink. State Secretary Sonia Backès was unable to win a Senate seat. The magazine “L’Obs” analyzed that more than 90 percent of the seats now elected went to the opposition.
The Senate consists of 348 members who are elected for six years. About half of the seats are filled every three years. The chamber has a say in legislation. In conflicts with the National Assembly, the representatives there have more control. With the Macron camp losing its absolute majority in the National Assembly last year, the Senate has become more important as a negotiating partner for the government.