Jean-Marie Le Pen, Influential French Politician, Passes Away at 96

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's National Front party, now known as the National Rally, has passed away at the age of 96. His family announced that he died at a care facility, surrounded by loved ones.

Born in 1928 to a fisherman and a seamstress, Le Pen had a diverse career before entering politics, working as a fisherman, deep-sea miner, and apartment surveyor. He also served in the French Foreign Legion, participating in the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Algerian War in 1957.

Le Pen began his political journey in the 1950s, serving two terms in the French National Assembly from 1956 to 1962. In 1972, he established the National Front, which would become a significant political force in France. He ran for the presidency multiple times, notably securing second place in the 2002 election with nearly 18% of the vote.

In addition to his national political endeavors, Le Pen was elected to the European Parliament in 1984 and maintained his seat until 2003, returning to the legislature in 2004 and serving until 2019.

Throughout his lengthy career, Le Pen was a polarizing figure due to his far-right views. He was particularly noted for his stringent anti-immigration policies and controversial statements regarding the Holocaust. His admiration for Marshal Philippe Pétain, the leader of Vichy France during World War II, further fueled criticism against him.

In 2011, Le Pen passed leadership of the National Front to his daughter, Marine Le Pen, who later rebranded the party as the National Rally in 2018. However, in 2015, he was expelled from the party after making remarks downplaying the Holocaust, which Marine described as politically damaging. He publicly stated that he would not support her in the 2017 presidential election.

Under Marine Le Pen's leadership, the National Rally has sought to distance itself from the more extreme elements of its founding. Currently, the party, along with its allies, holds 89 seats in the French National Assembly, positioning itself as the second-largest opposition group after the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.