He ran unsuccessfully for the French presidency five times, riding waves of discontent and xenophobia as the leader of the National Front party.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, an extreme right-winger who haunted the French political establishment for decades, died on Tuesday aged 96, dividing opinion until the end. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a hardline right-winger,

Jean-Marie Le Pen, an unabashed nationalist and founder of the French far-right National Rally party, has died aged 96, sources close to his daughter Marine Le Pen said on Tuesday.