Former leader of French far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the far-right French politician who co-founded the National Rally and led it until 2011, died on Tuesday at the age of 96. He had been in a care facility for several weeks.
Le Pen was the historic leader of France’s far right movement. He founded the National Rally (RN), previously known as the National Front (FN), in 1972 and led the party from the political margins to significant success.
In 2002, he shocked both supporters and critics by advancing to the second round of the presidential election, which he lost to Jacques Chirac. In 2011, he stepped down as RN leader and was succeeded by his daughter, Marine Le Pen.
Controversial figure
Le Pen was a deeply controversial figure. He was convicted and fined several times for contesting crimes against humanity - he called the Nazi gas chambers “a mere detail” in the history of the Second World War - and was known and criticised for his polarising, xenophobic and racist comments.
In 2015, his daughter expelled him from the RN as part of her efforts to clean up the party’s reputation. His refusal to temper his incendiary language led to him being stripped of his title as party president for life. After a lengthy legal battle, he was formally ejected from the party in 2018. This caused a serious rift between father and daughter, which never fully healed.
After his expulsion, Le Pen became a mere commentator on politics in France, making occasional but often provocative media appearances. Between 2022 and 2024, he suffered several strokes.
RN president Jordan Bardella paid tribute to Jean-Marie Le Pen on X, saying that he “always served France, defended its identity and its sovereignty”.
Jean-Marie Le Pen at a meeting with a Flemish student union in 2005 © BELGA PHOTO LIEVEN VAN ASSCHE
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