Jean-Marie Le Pen, an emblematic figure of the French extreme right and founder of the National Front, died at the age of 96, according to an announcement by AFP relaying a declaration by his family.
Known for having marked political history by reaching the second round of the 2002 presidential election against Jacques Chirac, he died in a medical establishment in the Paris region, where he had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Born on June 20, 1928 in La Trinité-sur-Mer, in Morbihan, Jean-Marie Le Pen became one of the most controversial actors in the French political scene. After a career started in the ranks of paratroopers, he turned to politics in the 1950s. In 1972, he founded the National Front, a party positioned on the far right, which will become one of the most influential political forces of this current in France.
His career is marked by sulfur statements, trials for words deemed discriminatory, and a resolutely anti-immigration posture which has crystallized both fervent support and strong opposition.
In 2002, Jean-Marie Le Pen created a political earthquake by reaching the second round of the presidential election against Jacques Chirac, a breakthrough which will remain a turning point in the contemporary political history of France.
Withdrawn from the presidency of the National Front in 2011, he left the party’s reins to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, with whom he then entered conflict, especially after his exclusion from the party in 2015.
