UPDATE - French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96

UPDATES WITH BACKGROUND INFORMATION

By Nur Asena Erturk

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the controversial founder of France’s far-right National Front party, has died at the age of 96, according to local media reports on Tuesday.

Le Pen, a polarizing figure in French politics, founded the National Front in 1972 and led the party for nearly four decades before passing leadership to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, in 2011. His tenure was marked by staunch nationalism and inflammatory rhetoric that drew widespread condemnation but also resonated with a segment of the French electorate.

In the 1980s, he described the gas chambers used during the World War II as a “detail” of history, a statement he would reiterate several times in his career and would lead to his condemnation.

Throughout his career, the 1928-born politician also targeted immigration and Roma people in various statements.

In 2015, Le Pen was expelled from the party he created after clashing with Marine Le Pen’s efforts to soften the party’s image. She later rebranded it in 2018 as the National Rally (Rassemblement National), a move aimed at broadening its appeal.

Over his political career, Jean-Marie Le Pen ran for the French presidency five times ***- in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007. Following a large defeat in his first candidacy, he ranked fourth in the first round in 1988, 2002, and 2007, whereas in 2002, he lost to Jacques Chirac in the second round.***

Elected member of the EU parliament for the first time in 1984, Le Pen’s European career lasted until 2019.