Heads will roll again – if Le Pen has his way.

Just when it looked like the old man had mellowed down: Le Pen wants the death penalty back

French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen launched his fifth bid to become president last Sunday, promising to reintroduce the death penalty.

His timing is a bit unfortunate, though. Just days before he announced his plans, the French parliament voted to amend the Constitution to include an explicit ban on the death penalty, with a 828 to 26 majority. It’s not likely Le Pen will ever be able to reverse that vote.

And with a bit of luck, the rest of his plans may also vanish in thin air. The 78-year old geriatric loudmouth also promised to reduce the criminal age to 10, create a so-called National Guard, end benefit payments to foreigners, create 75,000 more prison places and pull France out of Nato.

Le Pen’s chances of winning the presidency are lower than ever. His following is currently around 13% of the population.