François Rebsamen, a former president of the socialist group in the French Senate, was elected last night as a senator for Côte d'Or. He recently left La Convention, the political party led by Bernard Cazeneuve, to join Emmanuel Macron's movement, but he has now chosen to sit with the socialist group. Rebsamen, who previously served as a senator from 2008 to 2014 and once led the socialist group in the Senate, said he would be an affiliated member of the group. He also mentioned that he received a warm reception from his former colleagues at the Palais du Luxembourg, the seat of the French Senate. Rebsamen, a former mayor of Dijon and a supporter of Macron in both the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, previously held the position of minister for Territorial Planning and Decentralization in the government led by François Bayrou. Now a member of La Convention, he has not faced opposition from his former socialist colleagues. Speaking to Public Sénat, he said that the current socialist group is not "sectarian," and he gets along with the majority. He added that Patrick Kanner, the current president of the socialist group, greeted him with the words, "Welcome, we were expecting you," in a lighthearted tone. The socialist group in the Senate has achieved its goal of maintaining its position as the second-largest group in terms of member numbers, ahead of the centrists. According to current estimates, the group should have between 64 and 66 senators. These numbers will be confirmed once the final group formations are completed, which will happen before the election of the group's president, scheduled for tomorrow morning. On Public Sénat last night, Patrick Kanner, the current head of the socialist group and a former minister, announced his candidacy for re-election as the group's president. His leadership will be crucial as the group continues to navigate its role in the Senate amid shifting political alliances and internal dynamics.