PARIS, Dhu-AlQa'dah 3, 1432, Oct 1, 2011, SPA -- France's Socialist Party has cemented its slim hold on the Senate with the election of one of their own as the body's president, according to AP. The left took control of the Senate for the first time since 1958 about a week ago. Still, their rivals in President Nicolas Sarkozy's party had held out the possibility that the Socialists wouldn't snap up the presidency of the upper house. But on Saturday, Socialist Jean-Pierre Bel was elected in one round. The Socialists have called the vote a bellwether for next year's presidential elections, while the right has dismissed it as not representative of the electorate. The Senate is often dismissed as merely wielding a rubber stamp, but its president takes over as interim leader if the country's president becomes incapacitated. -- SPA 19:02 LOCAL TIME 16:02 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/930280