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Le Pen launching election plans Le Pen presents election plans
(about 23 hours later)
A convention of France's far-right National Front party has begun in Lille where its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is launching his fifth bid for president. The leader of France's far-right National Front party - Jean-Marie Le Pen - has presented his campaign platform for April's presidential vote.
Anti-immigration measures are at the heart of the programme, a message seen as key to his electoral fortunes. At the party convention in Lille, he said he would halt immigration and integration with the European Union.
Mr Le Pen's daughter, Marine, opened the two-day convention by saying that "France is going down the drain". It is his fifth and probably last bid for the presidency, and correspondents say he has little chance of winning.
Mr Le Pen placed a surprise second in the 2002 race, but is trailing in the opinion polls ahead of April's vote. Mr Le Pen came a surprise second in the 2002 race, but is currently trailing in the opinion polls.
Marine Le Pen is directing her father's election campaign, and is behind the efforts to give him and the party a more modern and moderate look, says the BBC's Jonathan Marcus in Lille. The 78-year-old politician arrived on stage to chants of "Le Pen, president!" and launched into an attack on the whole French political class who he blamed for leading the country to ruin, says the BBC's Jonathan Marcus in Lille.
Nationalist message 'Miserable people'
"The French people are losing the joy of being French," she told the party delegates in Lille. He told 2,000 supporters that the situation in France was "catastrophic".
"We need a statesman, a man with character who can look into the future... and give sovereignty back to the French people". "There can not be any economic reform nor a return to growth without putting a halt to uncontrolled immigration of all the miserable people of the planet who are coming to compete with our impoverished workers," he said.
As the convention began, about 1,000 anti-Le Pen protesters rallied outside the venue. Marine Le Pen is trying to modernise the National FrontHis promise to return illegal immigrants to their countries of origin raised loud cheers from the audience.
Mr Le Pen came in second in the 2002 electionThe Lille region has been hit by hard economic times and it's a place where Mr Le Pen's stridently nationalist and populist message goes down well, says our correspondent. He said he would cut off social and health care benefits to immigrants and lower taxes, build more prison cells and boost military spending.
But support in Lille has yet to convert into wider appeal; Mr Le Pen is currently trailing in fourth place with about 13% of the vote, opinion polls suggest. Mr Le Pen beat Socialist Lionel Jospin to the second round of the election in 2002, but opinion polls show him trailing in fourth place this time with about 13% of the vote.
In addition, the 78-year-old Mr Le Pen has yet to collect the 500 signatures from local officials that will enable him to stand. However, the party's deputy leader said the polls were misleading.
However, polls often underestimate his support as it is thought many who privately back him are unlikely to publicly endorse him. "The polls have always been lower than the final result - sometimes not even half of what we finally get," said Bruno Gollnisch.
An alternative third candidate to the two main left and right-wing presidential contenders is already emerging. The centrist Francois Bayrou has jumped to 17% in the opinion polls, potentially sapping support from both the main candidates. The centrist Francois Bayrou has jumped to 17% in the opinion polls, potentially sapping support from both the main candidates.
Key planks of Mr Le Pen's platform are plans to send some immigrants home and limiting benefits to French nationals only. Socialist Segolene Royal and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy from the governing UMP are running level at about 28% in the polls.
He also remains opposed to many aspects of the European Union, and stridently anti-American. Mr Le Pen has not yet collected the 500 signatures from elected officials that will enable him to register as a candidate.
Analysts say such sentiments may play well with elements of the electorate, although they note that it is jobs and the economy which are currently at the top of voters' concerns. He cannot win the presidency even if he makes it to May's second round vote, our correspondent says, but his legacy will have been to establish his far-right party as a seemingly permanent fixture on the French political scene.
Mr Le Pen is not seen as particularly strong on these issues, but, says our correspondent, if the mainstream candidates get into trouble and the conservative vote divides, then - just perhaps - Mr Le Pen could make it to the second round.