Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right National Front party and a polarizing figure in French politics for decades, passed away on January 7 at the age of 96.
He died at a care facility in Garches, near Paris, according to senior officials from the National Rally, as the party he established is now known. While no cause of death was provided, his passing marks the end of a controversial political career that spanned over half a century.
Le Pen, who described himself as a defender of traditional French values, was a frequent presidential candidate and a divisive presence in public life. He faced widespread condemnation for dismissing Nazi gas chambers as a “minor point” in World War II, a statement that led to multiple convictions for Holocaust denial. Despite his extremist views, Le Pen was a charismatic figure whose rhetoric resonated with segments of the French electorate disillusioned by mainstream politics.
Under the leadership of his daughter Marine Le Pen, the National Front sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, rebranding itself as the National Rally.
Marine formally distanced herself from her father in 2015, expelling him from the party and accusing him of harming its image. However, in a statement following his death, the National Rally acknowledged his role in introducing topics like immigration, globalization, and demographics into public discourse.
Jean-Marie Le Pen’s political journey began in the 1950s. Born on June 20, 1928, in Trinité-sur-Mer, a coastal village in Brittany, he lost his fisherman father during World War II when his boat struck a mine.
After attending Jesuit schools and earning a law degree in Paris, Le Pen joined the French Foreign Legion, serving in colonial conflicts in Indochina and Algeria. His military experiences and nationalist fervor shaped his political ideology.
Le Pen entered politics in 1956 as a member of the National Assembly under the far-right movement led by Pierre Poujade. He later broke with Poujade over foreign policy disagreements and founded the National Front in 1972. The party gained notoriety under his leadership for its anti-immigration stance, nationalist rhetoric, and provocative statements.
While Le Pen’s party rarely secured more than 12-13% of the vote in national elections, he shocked the political establishment in 2002 by advancing to the second round of the presidential election, defeating socialist Lionel Jospin. However, he was soundly defeated by incumbent President Jacques Chirac, who garnered 82% of the vote in the runoff.
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Le Pen’s career was marked by controversy and legal battles. He faced multiple convictions for incitement to racial hatred and Holocaust denial, including his infamous 1987 remark dismissing the Holocaust as a “detail” of World War II. He also faced allegations of torture during the Algerian War, which he denied but partially justified in certain situations.
Despite his contentious legacy, Le Pen maintained a loyal following among certain groups, including working-class conservatives, Roman Catholics, and residents of areas with large Muslim populations. His slogan, “The French people first!” became a rallying cry for his supporters.
Le Pen’s personal life also drew public attention. His first marriage to Pierrette Lalanne ended in a high-profile divorce in 1987. The following year, she posed semi-nude for Playboy in what she described as an act of defiance against her ex-husband. Le Pen later married Jeanne-Marie Paschos, who survived him. He is also survived by three daughters from his first marriage, including Marine Le Pen, who continues to lead the National Rally.
In recent years, Marine Le Pen’s efforts to moderate the party’s image have led to electoral gains, though the legacy of her father’s extreme rhetoric remains a point of contention in French politics.
