French far-right leaders say they have won enough seats to form Senate caucus

PARIS, Sept 27 - 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.

• Group leaders are able to request votes, among other powers. REUTERS