Considerede as a bastion of stability thanks to its specific voting system, the upper house of the French Parliament is slowly but surely evolving in its function and representativeness. Its role will continue to grow, and can no longer be overlooked.
With its "Quatre colonnes" room teeming with journalists and its questions to the government in the hemicycle's "cauldron", the National Assembly has long taken the spotlight from the Senate. With its velvet drapes, thick carpets and gilding, the upper chamber, which has been dominated almost unchallenged by the right and the center-right for half a century, has retained the image of an assembly of notables moving along at La Fontaine's famous "senatorial pace". Today, this second-class role is no longer in vogue.
The first awakening came in 2017, when the Senate gradually established itself as a useful counterweight to a National Assembly that was at first lacklustre (Emmanuel Macron's first five-year term) and then chaotic (legislative elections in 2022). The political use of the commissions of inquiry into the "Benalla", "McKinsey" and "Marianne Fund" affairs dusted off its image and reinforced its weight and credibility in the control of government action. On the legislative front, it has established itself in "new" areas by breaking away from its traditional preserve (local authorities, civil liberties). Its role in the tug-of-war over the Immigration Act at the end of 2023 is a notable example.
The second change, which is still in the making, concerns the composition of the Council. The 2023 senatorial elections saw a strengthening of centrist forces, with the preservation of the Union Centriste group and the rise of Horizons. At the same time, the Les Républicains group has seen its numbers dwindle, and the number of senators who are only "related" or "attached" has tripled in 6 years (from 11% to 33%), with the arrival of local elected representatives claiming to be "diverse". There are many reasons for this: the declining attractiveness of the major parties' "brand", the difficulty of finding candidates to join their lists, and a wait-and-see attitude to the national political situation.
The erosion of the "Les Républicains" party in recent years is certainly no scoop. But its weakening in the Senate, a veritable "bastion", could have major consequences after the next renewal. For, capitalizing on its respectable scores in local elections, the left has comparatively regained ground. The arrival of Yannick Jadot and Ian Brossat also demonstrates the appeal of the upper house for strong political figures who had previously shunned it.
In 2026, after highly politicized municipal elections just a few months before the presidential elections, the senatorial renewal process in departments such as Gironde, Rhône and Bouches-du-Rhône will be particularly closely scrutinized. These areas, marked by significant political shifts in recent municipal elections, could see the Palais du Luxembourg tilted further to the left. A new role, an evolving composition, a risky electoral calendar: for those interested in public decision-making, it is necessary to apprehend the place of the Senate differently.
Arthur Arlaud, Senior Consultant, and Matthieu Sénécot, Consultant
