French far-right leader to retire

Veteran French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen will retire in January and will not run for President in 2012, he said yesterday.

The announcement, although long-expected, brings to an end four decades of domination of the xenophobic French right by Le Pen, 81.

In that time he steered the nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-European, anti-American French right from a marginal series of antagonistic tribes to become a significant power in the land.

Le Pen's daughter, Marine, 41, is favourite to succeed him but her more progressive views on subjects including abortion and women's rights make her unpopular with the social conservative and Catholic fundamentalist wings of the party.

Le Pen said yesterday that he departed with "no remorse, no regrets and, above all, no repentances".