As France prepares for elections, the people face the very real prospect of a National Front resurgence. The party led by Le Pen is hoping to secure similar success to that achieved in the 2002 election in which the controversial right wing leader forced Jacques Chirac into contesting a second round of elections. This is the fifth time that Le Pen has contested the presidency but he believes he has as much if not a better chance than in any of his previous attempts. With last year's riots still fresh in the minds and politics of this election, Le Pen's policies of nationalism and anti - immigration have struck a chord with people who feel genuine discontent in the large areas of urban France dominated by immigrants and ethnic minorities. Fear in these areas has become more common and the root of this, according to Le Pen, is the influx of foreigners. Having proclaimed himself "a man of the centre-right" his popularity and accessibility have been growing. However, despite the seemingly positive political movement towards the National Front, the 78 year old still lags behind the popular contenders such as Segolene Royal in opinion polls.