French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies aged 96
7 January 2025, 12:13 | Updated: 7 January 2025, 12:36
Far-right politician and founder of the French National Front party Jean-Marie Le Pen has died aged 96.
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He was succeeded as party chief by his daughter, Marine Le Pen in 2011.
His family said in a statement: “Jean Marie Le Pen, surrounded by his family, returned to God at 12noon on Tuesday.”
He was runner-up in the presidential election of 2002 against Jacques Chirac and was president of the Front National from 1972 to 2011.
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He was succeeded as party chief by his daughter, Marine Le Pen, who has now run for the presidency three times and turned the party, now branded the National Rally, into one of the country's main political forces.
Holocaust denier Le Pen had unrepentant extremist views on race, gender and immigration. Jordan Bardella, who succeeded Marine Le Pen as party chair in 2022, said Jean-Marie had "always served France.”
