Paris, 7 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French right-wing nationalist party formerly known as the National Front, has died aged 96, news agency AFP reported on Tuesday, citing Le Pen's family.

The head of the party, now renamed National Rally, Jordan Bardella, also wrote on X that Jean-Marie Le Pen had died.

Le Pen, who was later expelled from the party, had in his final years mainly made headlines due to his ongoing political feud with his daughter Marine Le Pen.

The right-wing populist broke politically with her father after he repeatedly thwarted her strategy of adopting a more moderate approach. Under her leadership, the party renamed and rebranded itself in 2018.

Le Pen made the National Front prominent

Jean-Marie Le Pen co-founded the far-right party in 1972 and led it for nearly four decades.

During this time, he transformed it from a fringe group into a serious political force, using provocative statements to stir sentiment against immigrants.

His daughter, Marine Le Pen, took over the party leadership in 2011 and has since successfully pursued a strategy of "detoxification" the party.

The party eventually expelled Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2015 after he repeatedly dismissed Nazi gas chambers as a mere "detail of history" of World War II.

He fought back fiercely, accusing his daughter of "betrayal" and attacking her publicly on numerous occasions. He initially managed to retain the title of honorary chairman in court, but this was later revoked.

Multiple convictions for inciting hatred

Jean-Marie Le Pen was born in 1928 as the son of a Breton fisherman and a seamstress.

After studying law and politics, he joined the French Foreign Legion. He was repeatedly accused of torturing prisoners during the 1954-62 Algerian War, which he denied. However, he lost a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper Le Monde in 2003.

He was repeatedly convicted for downplaying Nazi crimes and inciting hatred.

Jean-Marie Le Pen's biggest coup came when he placed second in the 2002 presidential election, facing Jacques Chirac in the run-off. France still refers to this as the "shock of April 21."

His daughter achieved results in the 2022 elections with her efforts to present a moderate image that her father could only have dreamed of, garnering more than 40% in the final round of the presidential election and a significant increase in the party's parliamentary seats.

Photo: MIA Archive