Jean-Marie Le Pen died at the age of 96, Tuesday January 7, 2025. The announcement of his death was confirmed by the Le Pen family to Agence France Presse around 1 p.m. A historical and controversial figure in the French political class, he founded the National Front, which became the National Rally, in 1972. Two years later, he ran for the first time in the presidential election, as Paris Match recalls.
Then begins the political career of the Le Pen patriarch who will run four other times (1988, 1995, 2002 and 2007) in the most important election in the country. In 2002, he allowed the far-right to reach the second round before losing to Jacques Chirac, following an anti-FN popular vote. In addition to his 38 years at the head of the FN, Jean-Marie Le Pen held the position of European deputy from 2004 to 2009. His longevity in politics led those around him to join him within the party, like his daughter , Marine, and her granddaughter, Marion Maréchal.
Politician reactions
A few minutes after the announcement of the death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the head of the Lepenist party Jordan Bardella spoke on Twitter: “he has always served France, defended its identity and its sovereignty”he declares. In a press release, the National Rally sent a final message to its founder and recalled that Jean-Marie Le Pen was one “one of the last deputies of the Fourth Republic, a fighter from Indochina and Algeria”. And adds, “he will remain the one who, in the storms, held in his hands the little flickering flame of the French Nation and who, through limitless will and tenacity, made the national movement an autonomous, powerful and free political family. »
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, declared on Twitter that “the fight against man is over. The one against the hatred, racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that he spread continues. » The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, recalls that “whatever opinion one may have of Jean-Marie Le Pen, he will undoubtedly have left his mark on his era. » As for the Prime Minister, François Bayrou, he welcomes “a figure in French political life”.
