translate English to French: The then nearly 71-year-old party founder and leader (born 1925) had uninterruptedly been at the helm of the party since it came into existence in October 2nd, 1977 - then known as Vlaams Nationale Partij (VNP – Flemish National Party), and known since May 28th, 1979 as Vlaams Blok. He had secretly been preparing his abdication a while before then.
A près de 71 ans, le président fondateur (°1925) dirige le parti depuis sa fondation le 2 octobre 1977 (à l’époque sous le nom Vlaams Nationale Partij, depuis le 28 mai 1979 officiellement sous le nom Vlaams Blok) et depuis quelque temps, il prépare son abdication en silence.