France's veteran far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen hinted
he could leave politics, saying in an interview published Thursday he was not
planning a sixth run for the French presidency in 2012.
"There would have to be exceptional circumstances for
me to be a candidate again," the 80-year-old National Front chief, who
shocked Europe by making it to round two of the presidential race in 2002, told
Valeurs Actuelles magazine.
Le Pen, who has led the National Front for 35 years, said he
would stay at the helm for at least two more, until its next congress.
But he suggested he would be happy to hand over to his
40-year-old daughter Marine Le Pen, a leading figure in the anti-immigration
party who has campaigned to soften its public image in recent years.
"Marine is not just popular for her name. She has personality,
charisma.
She is well-liked and goes down very well in the
media."
The far-right firebrand, who has several past convictions
for racism and anti-Semitism, gathered around 10 percent of votes in last
year's presidential race.
But his party was thrown into financial crisis after losing
state subsidies thanks to an unexpectedly poor showing in the parliamentary
elections that followed.
The National Front has been forced to sell its headquarters
in a Paris suburb to pay back millions of euros of debts.
Anti-Semitism