France's far-right National Rally surges in Senate elections

Marine Le Pen's National Rally and its allies won a record 14 Senate seats on Sunday, giving the party its first caucus in the upper chamber.

• The party crossed the 10-seat threshold required to form a parliamentary caucus in the 348-seat chamber for the first time.
• Nine RN senators were elected on Sunday, joining the three who won seats in 2023, with two more from ally Eric Ciotti's Union of the Right.
• Jordan Bardella said the party's senators would form a joint group with their UDR allies.
• The hard-left France Unbowed party won its first Senate seat in the election.
• Marine Le Pen called the result a 'historic victory' and said the new Senate group would be an essential link in the upcoming presidential campaign.
• The conservative Republicans and their allies retained control of the Senate with at least 127 seats, down from 131 before the vote.