Marine Le Pen secures 'historic' election success just months before France picks next President

French firebrand Marine Le Pen has hailed an "historic victory" after her National Rally (RN) party secured a record number of seats in the country's Senate.RN picked up nine seats, more than quadrupling their count in France's 348-seat upper chamber.A total of 178 seats were up for grabs in Sunday's election, where MPs and more than 170,000 councillors vote on behalf of the public.With more than 10 senators, Ms Le Pen's party can now form a caucus, like in the European Parliament, which gives its leaders special powers like the ability to request votes. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Back when it was known as the National Front, it picked up two Senate seats in 2014, and three in 2023. Now, it has 14."This is a historic victory, and a major milestone with the formation for the first time of a group in the Senate," Ms Le Pen said."The results have exceeded our expectations," she added.Alongside the RN, another two senators where elected from Eric Ciotti's right-wing Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR) party.RN President Jordan Bardella confirmed the senators would form a group with their UDR allies.Despite the gains, France's right, centre and left-wing Socialists appeared on course to stay on as the three largest groupings in the Senate - while the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party won its first-ever seat.The country's presidential elections are just months away - with millions of French voters heading to the polls on April 18 next year.Despite her sentence for mishandling EU funds, a court ruled Ms Le Pen was eligible to run in July.READ MORE FROM FRANCE:British charity hands over 100,000 freebies to wannabe illegal migrants assembling on French coastFrance tells police not to stop illegal migrants in shallow watersMuslim father jailed for threatening to behead French teacher - but insists: 'I'm not violent'Pollsters are tipping her to secure up to 36 per cent of the votes of the first-round election.She made it to the run-off in 2017 and 2022 but lost to Emmanuel Macron.Now, with Mr Macron on the way out, she looks set to face far-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon if both make it to the second round of voting.Mr Bardella, who was touted as a potential candidate before Ms Le Pen had her sentence reduced, told GB News of his plans for power just days ago."The first initiative we'd put in place if tomorrow we were in power," he said, "is to declare a referendum on immigration – a constitutional referendum which will allow us to put in place in the French Constitution necessary measures to protect our country from immigration."If Nigel Farage wins power in Britain and Ms Le Pen takes over in France, Mr Bardella has agreed to a pact to end the small boat crisis forever.A Reform UK Government would intercept boats and return migrants to French ports using the Royal Navy.Under the pact, France would "ordinarily accept" those on board, then send them home. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter