France is holding elections today to partially renew the French Senate (the upper house of parliament), with attention focused on Marine Le Pen's far-right "National Rally" and the possibility that the party will form its own parliamentary group in the upper house for the first time, DPA reported.
French senators are not directly elected by citizens. About 93,500 elected representatives, mainly from local and regional authorities, have the right to vote.
The conservatives currently have a majority in the Senate, with the "Republicans" the largest political force with 131 seats. President Emmanuel Macron's political camp has 19 senators.
The vote is not expected to lead to a significant change in the balance of power. However, a redistribution within the right-wing majority is possible, with the "Republicans" losing several seats.
The main question is whether the "National Assembly" will be able to win enough seats to create a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time. This requires 10 seats, and the party currently has only three. Creating its own group would provide it with more rights and opportunities to participate in the work of the Senate.
The French Senate consists of 348 members with a six-year term. Approximately half of its membership is renewed every three years, with 178 seats being allocated in the current elections.
The Senate participates in the legislative process, but in the event of a disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say.