French far-right leaders said that their party, the National Rally, and its right-wing allies won a sufficient number of seats in the indirect elections for senators that took place on Sunday to form their own parliamentary bloc.
This was the first time that the party exceeded the threshold of ten seats necessary to form a bloc in the Senate, as it prepares to run in the presidential elections next year, as opinion polls show that it is leading in the first round.
“The results exceeded our expectations,” Marine Le Pen, party leader and presidential candidate, said in a post on X.
Le Pen is seeking to win the presidency in the two-round elections next spring, but previous attempts by the far right to reach the presidency have failed repeatedly.
Of the 348 seats in the Senate, 178 were up for grabs in Sunday's elections. The party did not mention the number of seats it won.
Lawmakers and other local elected representatives elect senators, and caucus leaders have powers, including requesting a vote.
Populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned today (Sunday) in order to run for prime minister in early parliamentary elections.
Vucic's second presidential term ends in May next year. The Serbian constitution prevents him from running for a third term, and he said that he would resign to lead the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party in the elections that will be held next October 25.
The ruling populists face a major challenge in the elections from a youth-backed movement that led the protests sparked by the collapse of a train station canopy on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people in the city of Novi Sad, northern Serbia.
University students called for those responsible for the tragedy to be held accountable. Their struggle for justice and against corruption has developed into a powerful movement that will attempt to overthrow Vucic's government after 14 years in power. Vucic himself has been either prime minister or president of the country for the past 12 years.
Vucic said, while reading the text of his resignation: “I resign from the position of President of the Republic.”
The elections are scheduled to be held in October against a backdrop of intense political tensions as populists led by Vucic seek to remain in office despite widespread popular discontent. His decision to run for prime minister is seen as an attempt to retain a senior position and strengthen his party's chances against the student movement.
On Sunday, Yonhap News Agency quoted the South Korean presidential office as expressing its “deep regret” over what it described as Ukraine’s repudiation of an agreement with Seoul to not disclose the transfer of prisoners of war from North Korea to its southern neighbor.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that Ukraine had transferred two prisoners from North Korea to South Korea. He explained that the two men were recently sent, after being captured while fighting, to the side of Russia during the ongoing war with Ukraine.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung later said it was "extremely regrettable" that Ukraine announced the transfer, adding that the two sides had agreed not to reveal it.
Yonhap news agency quoted Seung Ji-hong, the presidential chief secretary for public relations, as saying in a statement that the presidential office “expresses its deep regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure (of the transfer), and its later false announcement that there was no non-disclosure agreement.”
The agency added that the South Korean official indicated that the government is considering taking additional measures on this issue if necessary.
Ukraine captured the two North Korean soldiers in the Russian Kursk region in January 2025. They were the first two North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang entered the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2024.
The handover comes at a time when South Korea supports efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, while US President Donald Trump renewed his readiness to communicate with Pyongyang.
