Editing Pim Fortuyn List (section)

==History==
===Background===
The LPF was founded by its namesake, Pim Fortuyn, a former sociology professor who had become known in the Netherlands as an author, press columnist and a media commentator. Fortuyn had announced his intention to run for parliament in a television interview on 20&nbsp;August&nbsp;2001. An unusual aspect of this was that it was not yet clear which political party he would be a candidate for. Although he was already in contact with the [[Livable Netherlands]] (LN) party, he initially also considered running for the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] (for whom he had briefly worked as an advisor) or creating his own [[Electoral list|list]]. He subsequently became a member of the LN in 2001 at the encouragement of its chairman [[Jan Nagel]]. On 25&nbsp;November he was chosen as party leader for the LN. The LN functioned as the combined national extension of various movements that existed as localist alternatives to the main parties and had contested [[municipal]] elections but had never contested in national elections before.<ref name=rvh45>{{harvnb|Rydgren|van Holsteyn|2005|p=45}}</ref><ref name=m21011>{{harvnb|Mudde|2007|pp=210–211}}</ref> Fortuyn concluded his acceptance speech by saying the words that would become his slogan; "At your service!"<ref name=rvh45/> Almost immediately after Fortuyn became leader, LN went from 2% in opinion polls to about 17%.<ref name=m211>{{harvnb|Mudde|2007|p=211}}</ref>

In January&nbsp;2002, it was announced that Fortuyn also would head the [[Livable Rotterdam]] (LR) list for the March&nbsp;2002 local elections. The official 2002 election study found that immigration and integration problems were the second most important issue for voters after issues concerning the health care system. Helped by the many speeches and interviews given by Fortuyn, immigration issues became the major topic of the national political agenda, thereby forcing other parties to react.<ref name=rvh46>{{harvnb|Rydgren|van Holsteyn|2005|p=46}}</ref>

Until February, Liveable Netherlands had received disproportionate and generally sympathetic coverage in the media. The situation took a dramatic turn on 9&nbsp;February, when Fortuyn was interviewed in ''[[de Volkskrant]]'', one of the leading national newspapers. Against the strong advice of his campaign team, he made several controversial statements; including one that said [[Islam]] was "a backward culture", that no more [[right of asylum|asylum]] seekers would be allowed into the country, and, if necessary, the possible repeal of anti-racism clauses in the [[Dutch Constitution]] to protect [[freedom of speech]]. Fortuyn maintained that if he came to power, he would pardon asylum seekers and illegal immigrants who had been in the Netherlands for a certain period but if legally possible he would close the borders to Muslim immigrants. Fortuyn was summoned to an emergency meeting by the LN party board and asked to retract his statements, but after refusing he was dismissed as party leader the next day. In a television interview, Fortuyn said that the split was irreparable, although he would have preferred to remain in the party.<ref name=rvh46/>

[[File:Pim Fortuyn - May 4.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Founder and Leader [[Pim Fortuyn]] on 4 May 2002.]]

===Establishment===
Fortuyn founded Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) on 14 February<ref name=":4">Hippe, J., Voerman, G., & Lucardie, A. (2004). Kroniek 2002: overzicht van partijpolitieke gebeurtenissen van het jaar 2002. In G. Voerman (editor), Jaarboek Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen 2002 (blz. 104). (Jaarboek Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen). Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen "Op 14 februari richtten zij de Politieke Vereniging ‘Lijst Pim Fortuyn’ (LPF) op."</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-02-15 |title=Leidsch Dagblad {{!}} 15 februari 2002 {{!}} pagina 4 |url=https://leiden.courant.nu/issue/LD/2002-02-15/edition/0/page/4?query= |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Historische Kranten, Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken |language=nl |quote=Pim Fortuyn doet mee aan de verkiezingen voor de tweede kamer onder de naam Lijst Pim Fortuyn. Hij heeft zijn partij gisteren ingeschreven bij de Kamer van Koophandel in Rotterdam}}</ref> taking several former LN members and candidates with him. He began assembling candidates to stand in the upcoming general election.<ref name=m21011/> Fortuyn secured financial backing from several individuals involved in the [[property development]] sector and was allocated an office and campaign headquarters in downtown Rotterdam. Within a short time, Fortuyn was able to secure thirty candidates for the election. [[Mat Herben]] was appointed as LPF group leader. Second on the party's list was [[João Varela (politician)|João Varela]], originally from Cape Verde whom Fortuyn proposed as immigration minister should he become prime minister. Fortuyn also recruited [[Jim Janssen van Raaij]] a former member of the European Parliament for the CDA and one of few on the list with professional political experience. Others included former editor of ''[[Elsevier]]'' [[Ferry Hoogendijk]], ex-drafts champion [[Harm Wiersma]], civil servant [[Joost Eerdmans]], Surinamese broadcaster [[Philomena Bijlhout]], counter-terrorism officer [[André Peperkoorn]], spokesman for farmers [[Wien van den Brink]] and spokeswoman for the Central Bureau of Food Trade [[Winny de Jong]]. The party's candidates were unveiled by Fortuyn at a press conference in March 2002.<ref>[http://www.volkskrant.nl/den_haag/article184698.ece/Onderling_wantrouwen_zo_oud_als_de_LPF Onderling wantrouwen zo oud als de LPF]. [[De Volkskrant]], 25 augustus 2004</ref><ref>[http://www.quotenet.nl/biz/chris-thunnessen-financier-verdonk.php Chris Thünnessen financier Verdonk]. Quotenet, 20 juni 2008</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvOsp8iQm4&feature=related Pim Fortuyn presenteert LPF Kandidaten Kubus (21 maart 2002)] © YouTube</ref>

Opinion polls soon showed that he took most of LN's supporters with him, leaving LN with its original 2%, while Fortuyn soared to 17%.<ref name=m211/><ref name=rvh46/> The local LR—which held on to Fortuyn as its leader—was hugely successful in the March 2002 local elections, as it won more than one third of the vote and became [[Rotterdam]]'s strongest party, displacing the Labour Party who had governed Rotterdam since World War Two. Fortuyn was subsequently elected to Rotterdam's municipal council.<ref name=rvh47>{{harvnb|Rydgren|van Holsteyn|2005|p=47}}</ref>

In the run-up to the 2002 general election, Fortuyn appeared in numerous television and radio interviews to generate publicity, and was featured in the televised leadership debates representing his new party. He was often attacked or derided as an extremist figure by other party leaders (in particular Labour leader [[Ad Melkert]], former prime minister [[Wim Kok]] and [[GroenLinks]]'s [[Paul Rosenmöller]]), and both Dutch and foreign media outlets compared Fortuyn to other European far-right party leaders. Fortuyn disputed the comparisons and stated that the press and other party leaders were distorting or mislabeling him and his ideas. However, polling showed rapid and growing support for the LPF, with some polls indicating that the LPF would emerge as the largest party and make Fortuyn a candidate for prime minister. Fortuyn himself maintained that he would not accept a cabinet position headed by another party leader and aimed to take the role of prime minister himself.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2002/03/28/ad-melkert-meet-pim-fortuyn|title = Ad Melkert, meet Pim Fortuyn|newspaper = The Economist|date = 28 March 2002}}</ref>

===Fortuyn assassination===
{{Further|Assassination of Pim Fortuyn}}
It was reported in February&nbsp;2002 that Fortuyn did not dare to appear in public owing to [[death threat]]s. In March, he was attacked by [[pieing|pie-throwing]] activists at the presentation of his new book ''[[De puinhopen van acht jaar Paars]]'' (which became the bestselling book by a Dutch author in the Netherlands in 2002).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.cpnb.nl/blobs/cpnb/61970/2010/22/CPNBTOP100_2002.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017192242/http://web.cpnb.nl/blobs/cpnb/61970/2010/22/CPNBTOP100_2002.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-17 }}</ref> Despite this, the authorities did not provide protection for Fortuyn, nor did he request protection. In various interviews, including with the [[BBC]] and ''[[Jensen!]],'' Fortuyn expressed a concern that he would be killed or injured during the election campaign, and argued that if such an event were to happen, the media and Dutch political establishment would be to blame through creating a hostile atmosphere against him.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/1966979.stm|title = At home with 'Professor Pim'|date = 4 May 2002}}</ref>

On 6&nbsp;May, Fortuyn was assassinated outside a radio studio in [[Hilversum]].<ref name=rvh47/> This was the first political murder in the Netherlands for centuries (excluding the [[World War II|Second World War]]). Some claimed that by demonising Fortuyn, the [[political left]] and the [[mass media|media]] had created a climate of opinion that had made the assassination possible.<ref name=jbjz>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GL4QIQsA7cC&pg=PA275|page=275|first1=Jens|last1=Borchert|first2=Jürgen|last2=Zeiss|title=The political class in advanced democracies|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-926036-2}}</ref> Campaigning immediately stopped, and although some suggested postponing the elections, the campaign resumed (half-heartedly) after his funeral four days later.<ref name=m211/><ref name=rvh48>{{harvnb|Rydgren|van Holsteyn|2005|p=48}}</ref> His funeral was broadcast live on television and, according to [[Cas Mudde]], lead "to scenes of mass hysteria not seen since the [[Netherlands national football team]] won the [[UEFA Euro 1988|European Championship in 1988]]."<ref name=m211/> The murder of Fortuyn, together with that of [[Theo van Gogh (film director)|Theo van Gogh]] two years later, would result in a polarisation in the political debate in the Netherlands, and subsequently changes in immigration-related policies and public discourse.<ref>{{cite web|work=International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam|title=ISS Development Research Seminar Series – Autumn 2010|date=15 December 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Pim Fortuyn List election poster.jpg|thumb|right|220px|LPF 2002 election poster featuring [[Pim Fortuyn]] with his slogan "At your service!"]]

===First Balkenende cabinet (2002–2003)===
The LPF decided to maintain Fortuyn's posthumous candidacy, and delayed naming a new leader until after the election.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c1076Ro0W0MC&pg=PA45|page=45|first=Ron|last=Eyerman|title=The assassination of Theo Van Gogh: from social drama to cultural trauma|year=2008|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-4406-3}}</ref> The [[2002 Dutch general election|2002 general election]] proved a great success for the LPF, yielding 17% of the votes and 26 seats in the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]—by far a record number of seats in the Netherlands for a new party—to become the second largest party. LN also made it into Parliament, with two seats. The [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] (PvdA) and [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] (VVD) saw their largest-ever losses, while the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] (CDA) won large gains – later attributed in part to the fact that CDA leader [[Jan Peter Balkenende]] had remained neutral and not joined in attacking Fortuyn with other party leaders during debates.<ref name=rvh48/> Balkenende had earlier announced that his party would follow a tougher line towards asylum seekers and tighten some of the Netherlands's immigration policies, and he later agreed with much of Fortuyn's criticism of the [[Purple (government)#The Netherlands and Belgium|purple coalition]] and Holland's [[multiculturalism|multicultural society]]. Some commentators claimed that the CDA was able to draw in voters who otherwise would have supported the LPF (but felt it was no longer viable without Fortuyn in charge) or that the CDA was seen as a stabilizing force after a tense election.<ref name=rvh46/><ref name=sheg>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJ6x8zmRAaEC&pg=PA166|first1=Steven|last1=Van Hecke|first2=Emmanuel|last2=Gerard|title=Christian democratic parties in Europe since the end of the Cold War|year=2004|publisher=Leuven University Press|isbn=978-90-5867-377-0|page=166}}</ref> As leader of the strongest party, Balkenende became the leading candidate for prime minister.<ref name=rvh48/>

Following the election, journalist and former civil servant [[Mat Herben]] was appointed Fortuyn's successor as LPF party leader in May 2002 while newly elected LPF representatives [[João Varela (politician)|João Varela]] and [[Ferry Hoogendijk]] became the party's vice-chairmen. Businessman and personal friend of Fortuyn {{interlanguage link|Peter Langendam|nl}} was appointed chairman by the LPF parliamentary faction and faced the difficult task of shaping the party organization without Fortuyn.

Together with the CDA and the VVD, the LPF formed part of the governing coalition, and supplied several members for the [[Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-1|Balkenende cabinet]]. The party was granted four of fourteen cabinet seats, for immigration, economics, environment, health and sports, and five state secretaries. LPF member [[Eduard Bomhoff]] was appointed deputy prime minister.<ref name=ti1>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/far-right-gets-immigration-post-in-new-dutch-cabinet-648087.html |archive-url=http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100302120013/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/far%2Dright%2Dgets%2Dimmigration%2Dpost%2Din%2Dnew%2Ddutch%2Dcabinet%2D648087.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2010 |title=Far right gets immigration post in new Dutch cabinet |work=[[The Independent]]|date=12 July 2002 |access-date=28 March 2011 | first=Terri | last=Judd}}</ref> The following day after the cabinet's formation, LPF [[State Secretary (Netherlands)|State Secretary]] for Social Affairs and Work Opportunity [[Philomena Bijlhout]] resigned after it was reported that she had been a member of a [[Suriname]]se militia group.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2146966.stm "Dutch minister resigns within hours"], ''BBC News'' (Tuesday, 23 July 2002)</ref> She was replaced by fellow LPF MP [[Khee Liang Phoa]].

Without its original leader and lack of a clearly defined organisational structure and political experience among its members, the LPF also succumbed to highly public internal squabbles. MPs within the LPF resigned to sit as independents due to the infighting and the intense media storm following Fortuyn's death or unsuccessfully tried founding splinter parties of their own to contest in the next election. In August 2002, Herben resigned as leader due to the unrest and was briefly replaced by [[Harry Wijnschenk]]. However, arguments within the party continued after Wijnschenk was accused of dictatorial behaviour by other faction members which eventually led to the departure of LPF MPs [[Winny de Jong]] and [[Cor Eberhard]]. Wijnschenk was subsequently ousted from his position and replaced by Herben again, but by October&nbsp;2002, the break-up of the government coalition was ultimately triggered by the bickering of LPF Ministers [[Eduard Bomhoff]] and [[Herman Heinsbroek]] who did not get along on a personal level. Although the VVD had suggested that the LPF could replace Bomhoff and Heinsbroek in the cabinet, Bomhoff warned that the other parties would use the opportunity to call a new election. Ultimately, the cabinet fell and a fresh election was called.<ref name=ms>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q7y5W8svwh0C&pg=PA115|pages=115–116|first=Menno|last=Spiering|title=Euroscepticism: party politics, national identity and European integration|year=2005|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-1946-1}}</ref>

===Opposition and disintegration (2003–2006)===
In the [[2003 Dutch general election|January 2003 general election]], the LPF shrank to 5.7% support and gained eight seats while Balkenende and the CDA retained a majority.<ref name=ms/> Following the election the LPF was exchanged for the [[Democrats 66]] in the government coalition and never returned to government. The LPF found it hard to maintain support in parliamentary opposition as besides [[Joost Eerdmans]], most of its Members of Parliament were not very visible or considered as charismatic as Fortuyn, while party leader Herben had enough work keeping the party from further infighting. The LPF also went into financial straits as many of its former financial backers left. Other commentators later claimed that the relative inexperience of some of the LPF's members and lack of internal structure hampered its ability to function as a coherent movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/oct/18/worlddispatch.thefarright |title=The end of List Pim Fortuyn |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=18 October 2002 |access-date=29 June 2020}}</ref> As the new coalition continued most of the former coalition's policies and Balkenende stated that he agreed with some of Fortuyn's views on multiculturalism and implemented some of his policy ideas, it became increasingly difficult for the LPF to present the anti-establishment or alternative image to the government which had galvanized support for the party in the first place.<ref name=m213>{{harvnb|Mudde|2007|p=213}}</ref>

The LPF did see some success in the 2003 Dutch provincial elections in which it won 17 seats in eleven provinces, enabling it to qualify for a seat in the Senate during the [[2003 Dutch Senate election]] which was taken by [[Rob Hessing]]. However, the party was beset by further internal problems and won just 2.6% of the vote in the [[2004 European Parliament election in the Netherlands|2004 European Parliament election]], and did not win a seat. In this election, [[Paul van Buitenen]] surprisingly won two seats with his anti-corruption [[Europe Transparent]] (although it was not successful in the long term). By 2004, the LPF had fallen to a less than 1% support and disintegrated. The party had lost most of its members, and for a brief period the parliamentary faction (with exception of [[Wien van den Brink]]) had declared itself independent from the party while continuing to use the LPF name in the house. In 2005, a newly elected party board managed to put an end to many of the disputes within the LPF and got party organisation back in order. Herben also stepped back and handed over the faction chairmanship to [[Gerard van As]]. As a result, some LPF representatives rejoined the party. That same year, LPF minister and parliamentarian [[Hilbrand Nawijn]] held a meeting with [[Vlaams Belang]] politician [[Filip Dewinter]] in the former home of Fortuyn which caused uproar within the party since Fortuyn had stated he had wanted nothing to do with Dewinter's former [[Vlaams Blok]] party. Nawijn subsequently left the LPF and announced the formation of a new party with ideas closer to Vlaams Belang.<ref name=m213/>

In 2006, Van As announced his departure from the LPF to join Nawijn's [[Party for the Netherlands]]. A week after Van As' departure, [[Joost Eerdmans]] was expelled from the parliamentary faction after signalling his intention to join the [[EénNL]] party founded by [[Marco Pastors]] and was subsequently joined by other former LPF parliamentarians. In March 2006, the LPF decided to go ahead with contesting the [[2006 Dutch municipal elections]] and saw a relatively strong performance in the municipalities of [[Westland (municipality), Netherlands|Westland]], [[Spijkenisse]] and [[Eindhoven]] with the LPF receiving its first [[alderman]] in Westland.

[[File:Eduard Bomhoff 2006.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Eduard Bomhoff]], [[Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands|Deputy Prime Minister]] in the [[First Balkenende cabinet]].]]

===List Five Fortuyn and dissolution (2006–2008)===
The LPF attempted to start afresh and participated in the [[2006 Dutch general election|2006 general election]] under its new name List Five Fortuyn (''Lijst Vijf Fortuyn''). On 25 September 2006, the party released a controversial campaign commercial which featured new leader [[Olaf Stuger]] coming down from "heaven" with a parachute and presenting himself as a "reincarnation" of Pim Fortuyn. Marten Fortuyn, brother of Pim Fortuyn, declared it "outrageous and tasteless."<ref name=rtl1>{{cite web|url=http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2006/09_september/25/binnenland/0925_1800_woedend_om_lvfortuyn.xml |title=Marten Fortuyn woedend over spot nieuwe LPF|language=nl |work= [[RTL Nieuws]] |date=25 September 2006 |access-date=28 March 2011}}</ref> In the election, LVF did not receive enough votes to secure a seat with support of only 0.2%. It also lost all of its seats in the 2007 Provincial Council elections, meaning it was no longer eligible for representation in the Senate. By this stage, many former LPF supporters were switching to the new [[Party for Freedom]] led by [[Geert Wilders]] which contained similar policies to the LPF and emerged as a successor.<ref name=ind2>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fortuyns-heirs-eclipsed-as-big-parties-move-right-425285.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105142914/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fortuyns-heirs-eclipsed-as-big-parties-move-right-425285.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |title=Fortuyn's heirs eclipsed as big parties move right|work=[[The Independent]] |date=22 November 2006 |access-date=28 March 2011 | location=[[Rotterdam]] | first=Stephen | last=Castle}}</ref> 

In 2006, the party decided to close its office in [[the Hague]] since it was no longer represented in national or provincial politics. In July&nbsp;2007, the party held a meeting in which its delegates voted to dissolve itself by 1&nbsp;January&nbsp;2008. The decision was opposed by the party's youth-wing and LPF municipal branches in the Hague and Eindhoven who all declared they would continue under the LPF banner as independent organisations. As a result, the LPF name has only existed at a municipal level since 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/07/lpf_to_disband_on_new_years_da.php|title=LPF to disband on New Year's Day 2008|date=23 July 2007|access-date=28 March 2011|work=DutchNews.nl}}</ref>