Jean-Marie Le Pen dead: Far-right demagogue & France’s National Front founder dies at 96 with daughter on cusp of power

JEAN-Marie Le Pen, the nationalist founder of the French far-right National Front (Front National) party, has died aged 96.

The far-right demagogue’s death was reported by French media on Tuesday.

AFP or licensors

Jean-Marie Le Pen has died aged 96[/caption]

Reuters

The far-right nationalist was Marine Le Pen’s father[/caption]

Le Pen shook the French political establishment when he unexpectedly reached the presidential election run-off vote against Jacques Chirac in 2002, with his eager mix of populism and charisma.

He was succeeded as party chief by his daughter, Marine Le Pen.

She has since run for the presidency three times and turned the party, now branded the National Rally, into one of the country’s main political forces.

With a career spanning over six decades, Le Pen transformed French politics, reshaping the nation’s discourse on immigration, security, and national identity.

Le Pen’s political journey began with his election as the youngest MP in 1956, at the age of 27.

Over the years, he evolved from a fringe figure to a political force that no one could ignore.

His crowning moment came in 2002 when he stunned the French establishment by reaching the presidential election run-off against Jacques Chirac.

This achievement marked a turning point for the far-right in France, bringing its ideas into mainstream political debate.

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