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Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's right-wing National Front party and a controversial figure in French politics, has died at the age of 96.
This Pen he reached the second round of the French presidential election in 2002, in a moment that shocked France and led the electorate to overwhelmingly vote for his opponent Jacques Chirac to prevent the far-right from power.
His daughter, Marine Le Penhe succeeded him as party leader in 2011 and twice reached the second round of the presidential election. He tried to discredit the party, renaming it Rassemblement National and excluding his father from the party.
In a statement to AFP, Le Pen's family said he died on Tuesday at noon.
Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, confirmed the death of Le Pen in a statement on the social media platform X.
Paying tribute to the right-wing leader, he said that Le Pen “always served France, defending its identity and its independence”, as a political leader and a soldier of the French army in Vietnam and Algeria.
He said: “Today I think with sadness about his family, his loved ones, and the Marine whose mourning should be respected.