A survey published by French newspaper Le Figaro on Oct. 2 opened a debate in France about the role of the National Front, the country's largest nationalist party. According to the poll, 33 percent of French citizens would like to see party leader Marine Le Pen play a greater role in French politics in the future, giving her the third-highest such rating among French politicians after Interior Minister Manuel Valls (43 percent) and former President Nicolas Sarkozy (35 percent), and in line with the popularity of former Prime Minister Francois Fillon and International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde, who also each received 33 percent approval ratings. Most important, Le Pen's popularity is considerably above that of current President Francois Hollande, who only received a 23 percent approval rating in the poll. Le Pen's rising popularity is significant for several reasons.