GETTY Poll showed leader of the National Front party, Marine Le Pen, is by far the most popular popular

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According to the poll carried out by Odoxa for French television station France 2, 74 per cent of those who consider themselves ‘conservative’ and who claim to support right-wing politics want the head of the country’s leading anti-immigrant party to play a more influential role in French politics, both now and in the future. Only 53 per cent of right-wing supporters claimed to feel the same way about France’s former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy, and 67 per cent for Alain Juppé, who is currently favoured to win the spring 2017 presidential election.

The opinion poll also said 50 per cent of the French population – both left and right-wing – think that Ms Le Pen is a ‘major’ political player and that she should be given more power. Only 33 per cent said the same thing about Mr Sarkozy, and 27 per cent about Mr Hollande. WHO IS MARINE LE PEN?

GETTY Half of those surveyed think that Ms Le Pen is a ‘major’ political player

Aside from illustrating Mrs Le Pen’s rise in power and her new-found ability to win over voters feeling let down by Francois Hollande’s Socialist government, the poll also shows nearly two-thirds of the French – 62 per cent – think both Mr Hollande and Mr Sarkozy had been equally “bad” presidents. One quarter of the French think that Mr Sarkozy was a better president that Mr Hollande, whilst 12 per cent think the exact opposite. ANTI-EU PARTIES MAPPED

GETTY Only 33% of the surveyed believe that Sarkozy is a major political player

GETTY The anti-migration hardliner's popularity has risen significantly