Jean-Marie Le Pen, the expelled founder of France’s Front National (FN), has launched a new party, adding fuel to a family feud that has dogged his daughter Marine’s campaign to become president, reports The Guardian.
The announcement of the new party on Saturday, to be called “Blue-White-Red rally” after the colours of the French flag, overshadowed an annual gathering of Marine’s FN taking place in Marseille, three months before regional elections.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, 87, who was kicked out of the FN last month, told supporters at a restaurant in the city: “You will not be orphans. We can act in a similar way to the FN, even if we are not part of it.”
Marine Le Pen, who succeeded her father as leader in 2011, dismissed the move.