2026 Senate Elections: 178 Seats Up for Grabs on Sunday

The senatorial elections are being held on Sunday in France, with 178 of the 348 seats in the High Assembly up for renewal, according to Le Monde. This election, which concerns only part of the national electorate, designates the representatives of local authorities in the Senate for the years to come.

Unlike legislative or presidential elections, senatorial elections are not elections by direct universal suffrage: senators are elected by a college of grand electors composed mainly of local elected officials – municipal, departmental and regional councillors, as well as deputies. This particular voting method makes each department an electoral district in its own right, with its own lists of candidates.

Lists available department by department

To help readers find their way around, Le Monde offers a search engine to consult the lists of candidates presented in each department concerned by this partial renewal. This tool should facilitate the identification of the different political leanings running locally, a few days before the vote.

The renewal of more than half of the seats in the Senate on Sunday could have consequences on the political balance of the High Assembly, whose composition weighs in particular on the examination of legislation and on the government's ability to get its reforms adopted in Parliament.