Le Pen founded far-right National Front in 1972, handed baton to daughter Marine Le Pen in 2011
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 2015, Le Pen was expelled from the party he created after making extreme remarks that clashed 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.
