About this election
France is scheduled to hold Senate elections on 27 September 2026, renewing roughly half of the 348-member upper house of Parliament. Unlike the directly elected National Assembly, the Senate (Sénat) is chosen indirectly by an electoral college of about 162,000 "grand electors" — overwhelmingly local councillors — so the vote is a barometer of the strength of the political parties in France's towns, departments and regions rather than a direct expression of national opinion. The 2026 contest is closely tied to the nationwide municipal elections held earlier the same year, which renew the councillors who make up most of the Senate's electorate.
Senators serve six-year terms, and the Senate is renewed by halves every three years. The 348 seats are divided into two series; the 2026 election renews the series of about 178 seats last contested in 2020, while the other 170 seats (last renewed in 2023) carry over. In each department an electoral college of deputies, regional and departmental councillors and delegates of the municipal councils casts the votes. The method depends on the size of the department: those electing one or two senators use a two-round majority system, while those electing three or more use closed-list proportional representation. Because the electoral college is dominated by representatives of small communes, the system has long given a structural advantage to established local networks and to the centre-right.
The Senate is organised into parliamentary groups rather than running as single national parties. The largest is The Republicans (LR), the mainstream centre-right, which has anchored a right-and-centre majority for years under the long-serving Senate President, Gérard Larcher. The Socialists (SOC), the centrist Union (UC), and President Macron's bloc — represented by the RDPI group — are the other major forces, alongside the Communist-led CRCE, the Greens (GEST), the centrist-radical RDSE, and the independent-right LIRT. The Senate's indirect, locally rooted electorate has made it more resistant to the swings seen in National Assembly and presidential elections, and it has functioned as a conservative counterweight to governments of both left and right.
After the most recent renewal in 2023, the centre-right retained its dominance of the chamber. The approximate group standings going into the 2026 election were:
| Group | Seats |
| The Republicans (LR) | 130 |
| Socialists (SOC) | 65 |
| Centrist Union (UC) | 59 |
| The Independents (LIRT) | 20 |
| RDPI (Macron bloc) | 19 |
| Communist (CRCE) | 18 |
| RDSE (radical/centrist) | 17 |
| Ecologists (GEST) | 16 |
An absolute majority requires 175 of the 348 seats; with non-attached senators, the right-and-centre bloc has comfortably exceeded that figure.
Because the Senate reflects local strength, the central question is how the spring 2026 municipal elections reshape the electoral college — and whether the centre-right can hold its majority or the left and the presidential camp can erode it. The far-right National Rally, historically weak in the Senate because of its thin local-councillor base, will be watched for any breakthrough. With national politics unsettled since the 2024 National Assembly election produced a hung chamber, the Senate's composition matters for the balance of power over legislation and constitutional reform.
The Senate's geography mirrors France's local politics: the centre-right is strong in rural and small-town France and in many provincial departments, the left in larger cities and industrial areas, and the presidential bloc unevenly spread. Overseas departments and the senators representing French citizens abroad add further variety. ElectioMap will map the renewed seats by department as the indirect results are declared.
Although it cannot bring down the government and the National Assembly has the final say on most laws, the Senate is far from a rubber stamp. Bills shuttle between the two chambers in a process known as the navette parlementaire, and the Senate can revise, delay and shape legislation; on constitutional revisions its agreement is essential, since amendments must be passed in identical terms by both houses before being approved by Congress or by referendum. The constitution also assigns the Senate the role of representing France's territorial communities, and the President of the Senate is second in the order of precedence, stepping in as acting head of state if the presidency falls vacant — as happened in 1969 and 1974. The far-right National Rally, despite its strength in national elections, has historically held very few Senate seats because it controls few town halls and therefore commands little weight in the electoral college, so any inroads in 2026 would be politically significant.
This page will report the renewed Senate seats and the resulting balance of parliamentary groups as results come in from each department on 27 September 2026. Because the election is indirect, results are declared department by department rather than as a single national tally; ElectioMap will compile them into an overall picture sourced from the French Ministry of the Interior and the Senate.
The Senate election is scheduled for 27 September 2026. It renews about 178 of the 348 seats — the series last contested in 2020 — with senators serving six-year terms and half the chamber renewed every three years.
Indirectly, by an electoral college of roughly 162,000 "grand electors" who are overwhelmingly local councillors. Departments electing one or two senators use a two-round majority vote; those electing three or more use proportional representation.
Because most grand electors are municipal councillors, the nationwide municipal elections held in spring 2026 reshape the Senate's electorate. The Senate vote therefore reflects parties' strength in local government, which has long favoured the centre-right.
A centre-right and centrist majority anchored by The Republicans (LR), under long-serving Senate President Gérard Larcher. The Socialists, the centrist Union, President Macron's bloc and smaller groups make up the rest. An absolute majority requires 175 of 348 seats.
Because the election is indirect, results are declared department by department on election day rather than as a single national count. ElectioMap will compile the renewed seats and the resulting balance of groups as they are reported.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.