French conservatives set to retain senate majority as Macron's popularity suffers
France's conservatives are on track to keep their majority in the Senate, with President Emmanuel Macron's party trailing as his popularity suffers, according to partial official results.
Interior Ministry results after Sunday's vote showed the conservative Republicans keeping most of their seats and gaining a few.
A senator from Mr Macron's Republic on the Move! party said it came in third place.
About half of the 348 Senate seats were up for grabs in Sunday's vote.
Senators are not chosen by public vote but by elected officials.
French broadcasters' projections say the conservatives will have between 146 and 156 seats overall after Sunday's vote, with around 22 for Mr Macron's party, which was only created last year.
The results damage Mr Macron's legitimacy but should not prevent him from passing key promised changes to France's economy because the conservatives back them as well.
