PoliticsFrance’s Senate: outdated, costly and out of touch—or a necessary democratic safeguard?

France will vote on Sunday, September 27 to renew nearly half of the Senate’s 348 seats. Although it is the upper chamber of the country’s bicameral parliament, the Senate is often overshadowed by the National Assembly. The programme examines whether it protects regional interests or functions as a retirement club for mostly older men in politics.