Leader of the Opposition in the French Senate

Leader of the Main Opposition in the Senate
Incumbent Didier Guillaume since 1 October 2014
Style	The President
Residence	None
Term length	3 years
Inaugural holder	Antoine Courrière

In France, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is the leader of the largest opposition group in the Senate. This status has no official recognition in the French Constiution. What is more, the ideological differences between groups in the Senate is smaller than as usual, as the powers of the Senate allow it, at best, to lengthen the time for a bill.

List of Opposition Leaders in the Fifth Republic

Political Party:       Socialist       UMP

Name		Took office	Left office	Political Group	Notes
	Antoine Courrière[1]	28 April 1959	2 October 1974	Socialist
	Marcel Champeix[2]	2 October 1974	2 October 1980	Socialist
	André Méric[3]	2 October 1980	22 June 1988	Socialist	Resigned to join the government
	Claude Estier[4]	22 June 1988	1 October 2004	Socialist	Did not seek reelection to the Senate
	Jean-Pierre Bel[5]	1 October 2004	1 October 2011	Socialist	Opposition won 2011 Senate elections, subsequently he became President of the Senate.[6]
	Jean Claude Gaudin[7]	1 October 2011	1 October 2014	UMP	First right-wing opposition leader of the Fifth Republic
	Didier Guillaume[8]	1 October 2014	Incumbent	Socialist

References

1. Antoine Courrière biography
2. Marcel Champeix biography
3. André Meric biography
4. Claude Estier biography
5. Jean-Pierre Bel biography
6. French Senate Elects Jean-Pierre Bel First Socialist President
7. Sénat : Gaudin président du groupe UMP
8. Didier Guillaume biography