Following the end of the 9-year terms of 127 "series C" senators, indirect senatorial elections were held in France on September 26, 2004.

Quick Facts A third of seats (117) to the French Senate, First party ...

2004 French Senate election

← 2001 September 26, 2004 2008 →
A third of seats (117) to the French Senate
First party Second party Third party   Leader Josselin de Rohan Jean-Pierre Bel Michel Mercier Party UMP PS UDF Leader's seat Morbihan Ariège Rhône Last election 162 83 31 Seats won 155 97 33 Seat change 7 14 2
President of the Senate before election Christian Poncelet UMP Elected President of the Senate Christian Poncelet UMP

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This was the last renewal of serie C senators- following the electoral reform, senators are not elected by thirds to nine-year terms but by halves to six-year terms.

Since 2001, 10 seats had been added to Senate. This election elected Senators from 28 departments on the mainland (115 seats including 107 incumbents and 8 new seats), 2 from Guadeloupe and Martinique (5 seats including 4 incumbents and one new seat), 2 from overseas territories, Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (3 seats including 2 incumbents and one new seat), and 4 senators representing French citizens abroad.

The 117 incumbents were divided in the following way:

• 65 from the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) group
• 23 from the Socialist Party group
• 11 from the Communiste, Républicain et Citoyen group
• 10 from the Union Centriste-Union for French Democracy
• 7 from the Rassemblement démocratique et social européen
• 1 miscellaneous from the MPF

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