French Senate election, 2011

French Senate election, 2011

← 2008 25 September 2011 2014 →
165 of 348 seats in the Senate 175 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Jean-Pierre Bel Gérard Larcher Valérie Létard Party PS UMP NC Alliance Union of the Left Presidential Majority ARES Leader since 1 October 2008 1 October 2008 Leader's seat Ariège Yvelines Nord Seats before 152 161 30 Seats won 177 140 31 Seat change 25 21 1
President of the Senate before election Gérard Larcher UMP President-elect of the Senate Jean-Pierre Bel PS

Gérard Larcher
UMP

Jean-Pierre Bel
PS

A Senate election was held for 165 of the 348 seats in the Senate of France on 25 September 2011. Senate members were primarily elected by municipal officials, and the number of senators was increased from 343 to 348, due to the growth of France's population since the previous election was held in 2008. The Socialist Party and other left-of-center parties gained a majority of seats in the upper house for the first time in the Fifth Republic.

Prior to the 2011 election, the French Senate had been under the majority control of right or centre-right parties since the start of the Fifth Republic. Following left-wing gains in the senatorial elections of 2004 and 2008, the 2011 elections saw the Senate coming under the control of left-wing parties such as the Socialist Party, who gained around 24 new seats.

After the election, the incumbent President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, stated his intention to run for re-election; he believed that he could win despite the left-wing majority, with the aid of alliances with independents, centrists, and some leftists.

Jean-Pierre Bel, President of the Socialist Group, was elected as President of the Senate on 1 October 2011, replacing Larcher. He received 179 votes against 134 votes for Larcher; a centrist, Valerie Letard, received 29 votes.

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