Days from the May 7 ballot when the far-right leader faces off against centrist ex-banker Emmanuel Macron, the abrupt exit of Jean-Francois Jalkh awoke ghosts from the Front's past and revived a furore sparked by Le Pen's father when he called the Nazi gas chambers a "detail" of history. National Front vice president Louis Aliot said on BFM television that Mr Jalkh is stepping down to avoid further damage to the party, but he is contesting allegations of Holocaust denial, a crime in France.
Jean-François Jalkh, who replaced current presidential finalist Marine Le Pen as leader of the National Front, steps down from this role after three days following the reemergence of his comments questioning the logistics of Holocaust extermination camps, and is replaced by Steeve Briois.