The Republicans group (Senate)

The Republicans group Groupe Les Républicains
Chamber	Senate
Foundation	10 December 2002
Previous name(s)	Union for a Popular Movement group (2002–15) Groupe Union pour un mouvement populaire
Member parties	LR
President	Bruno Retailleau
Constituency	Vendée
Representation	145 / 348
Ideology	Gaullism
Website	https://www.lesrepublicains-senat.fr/

The Republicans group (French: groupe Les Républicains), formerly the Union for a Popular Movement group (French: groupe Union pour un mouvement populaire), is a parliamentary group in the Senate including representatives of The Republicans (LR), formerly the Union for a Popular Movement.

The Union for a Popular Movement group (groupe Union pour un mouvement populaire) in the Senate was officially formed on 10 December 2002 after the foundation of the Union for a Popular Movement earlier that year; at the time of its creation, it included 167 members, an absolute majority, with Josselin de Rohan elected as its first president. The group united 93 out of 94 members of the Rally for the Republic (RPR) group, 40 out of 41 members of the Republicans and Independents (RI) group (associated with Liberal Democracy), 29 out of 54 members of the Centrist Union (UC) group, 4 out of 21 members of the European Democratic and Social Rally (RDSE) group, and 1 non-inscrit. The group maintained its absolute majority until the 2004 renewal.

On 15 January 2008, de Rohan stood down as president of the group to assume the role of president of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee, and was succeeded the same day by the former member of the Radical Party Henri de Raincourt. De Raincourt subsequently stepped down on 6 July 2009, ahead of his appointment to the government, with Gérard Longuet elected unopposed as his successor on 7 July, his only opponent – Eric Doligé – having withdrawn his candidacy before the vote. On 7 March 2011, Longuet departed from the presidency of the group after his appointment as Minister of Defense within the government, with Jean-Claude Gaudin taking his place on 8 March uncontested; though Jean-Pierre Raffarin envisaged the possibility of presenting his candidature, he ultimately supported Gaudin for the post.