Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founder of the National Front, passed away on January 7, 2025, at 96. His political career, marked by far-right ideologies and controversial statements, included five presidential runs and notable electoral successes. Despite being expelled from his party in 2015 due to inflammatory remarks, he maintained an honorary presidency until 2018. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, succeeded him, leading to family tensions. Le Pen withdrew from politics in 2019 amidst ongoing legal and public controversies.
Jean-Marie Le Pen: A Controversial Legacy
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the co-founder of the National Front (now known as the National Rally), passed away on January 7, 2025, at the age of 96. In November 2024, he had been hospitalized for nearly a week for routine tests related to his advancing age. Those close to him noted that his health had seen both improvements and setbacks. Earlier, on April 15, 2023, he was admitted to the emergency room following a cardiac incident.
A Political Journey Through Controversy
Born in 1928 in La Trinité-sur-Mer, Le Pen was known for his far-right ideology and was instrumental in establishing the National Front in 1972. His military service during the Indochina and Algeria wars set the stage for his political ambitions, which began with his involvement in the Poujadist movement aimed at defending the interests of artisans and merchants in the post-World War II era. As the president of the National Front, he successfully positioned the party in the French political landscape by the early 1980s.
Despite a dismal performance in the 1974 presidential elections, Le Pen remained determined, ultimately running for the presidency five times. He achieved notable placements in the first rounds of the elections in 1988, 1995, and 2007, but it was in 2002 that he shocked the nation by advancing to the second round against Jacques Chirac. In that election, he garnered 17.8% of the votes but never ascended to the presidency. Nevertheless, he served as a deputy in Paris during the 1986 legislative elections and was a Member of the European Parliament from 1984 onwards.
In an unexpected twist, Le Pen was expelled from his own party following years of controversial statements. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, joined the National Front at the young age of 18 and eventually succeeded him as president in 2011. Following his expulsion in 2015 due to a series of inflammatory remarks regarding the Holocaust, including his infamous claim that gas chambers were merely a “detail” of history, his honorary presidency was validated by the courts until 2018. During this time, he founded the party Comités Jeanne, leading to familial tensions as Marine criticized the absurdity of his honorary status while being a member of another party. After facing numerous legal issues and controversies surrounding his rhetoric, Le Pen chose to step back from political life in 2019.