French far-right leaders say they have won enough seats of senators

French far-right leaders said their party, the National Rally, and its right-wing allies won enough seats in Sunday's indirect election of senators to form their own caucus.



It was the first time the party had cleared the 10-seat threshold for a Senate caucus, as it prepares for a 2027 presidential race in which opinion polls show it in the lead for the first round.



"The results have exceeded our expectations," Marine Le Pen, the party's leader and presidential candidate, said in a post on X.



Le Pen is seeking to win the presidency in the two-round election in the spring, but previous attempts by the far right to reach the country's highest elected office have repeatedly been blocked.



Of the 348 seats in the upper chamber, 178 were up for grabs in Sunday's election.



The party did not say how many seats it had won.



Senators are elected by lawmakers in the National Assembly and local elected representatives.