French parliament

Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday that assisted dying was not "normal", speaking during his landmark visit to France. His comments come as the French parliament has legalised the practice for certain patients, placing the pontiff in direct tension with French law. The remarks drew attention as the visit highlighted the clash between Catholic teaching and France's secular legislation on end-of-life care.

France's far right has made gains in indirect Senate elections, expanding its presence in the upper house of parliament. The results add to the party's momentum in French politics and may complicate President Emmanuel Macron's ability to secure majorities in the chamber, where senators are elected by local officials rather than directly by voters.

French commentary is focused on what is being described as a crisis of presidentialism in France, with Le Monde among the outlets framing the country's political turbulence in those terms. The debate centres on whether the Fifth Republic's strongly presidential model can still deliver stable governance amid a divided parliament and contested executive authority.

France's Rassemblement National has formed a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time, marking a historic step for Marine Le Pen's far-right party in the upper house of parliament. Reaching the threshold for an official group gives the party greater speaking time, committee seats and institutional legitimacy, and is being read as further evidence of its growing normalisation in French politics.

Results for the 2026 French senatorial elections, which renew part of the upper house of parliament, have been compiled and shared with an accompanying results box. The Senate is elected indirectly by grand electors, mayors and local councillors rather than by direct universal suffrage, so coverage focuses on the balance of power between political groups in the chamber.