Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ...

Pim Fortuyn and his party

Pim Fortuyn began organising the party on February 11, 2002, the day after he had been dismissed as lijsttrekker by the Leefbaar Nederland party. The new party would have allowed him to take part in the May 15 parliamentary elections. Fortuyn was a forceful debater. He was a strong critic of the government of the day. Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (surname pronounced somewhat like for-TOYN, IPA: ), (February 19, 1948 – May 6, 2002), was a controversial, openly gay, charismatic politician in the Netherlands who formed his own party Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn or LPF). ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Leefbaar Nederland (Livable Netherlands) is a political party in the Netherlands, founded on March 21, 1999, by (among others) Jan Nagel and Henk Westbroek, respectively chairpersons of Leefbaar Hilversum and Leefbaar Utrecht. ... Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda, which authorizes the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition. ...

On March 21 the party announced its list of candidates, most of whom had no previous political background. The party's main political issues were: March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ...

• Tougher action against immigrants who did not assimilate into Dutch culture
• Stronger measures to fight crime
• Less bureaucracy in government
• Reduction of teacher shortages in schools
• Shortening of waiting lists for hospital treatment

The immigration issue caused heated debates. Fortuyn was accused of being a racist, an accusation he denied. He did not advocate deporting immigrants already in the country, nor closing all borders, though he did advocate setting an immigration quota that would prohibit Muslims from entering the country. In addition, he advocated revoking the first article of the Dutch constitution which prohibited discrimination, if that would prevent him from being able to freely tackle the problem of (Muslim) immigrants being able to assimilate into Dutch Culture. Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... Debate, also debating outside the United States and Canada, is a formalized system of (usually) logical argument. ... It has been suggested that Racism in Mass Media be merged into this article or section. ... Deportation is the expelling of someone from a country. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), submission (to the will of God)) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second-largest religion. ...

The assassination of Fortuyn

Fortuyn was assassinated on May 6. Even though the assassin, Volkert van der Graaf, was caught immediately, members of the LPF floated a vast array of conspiracy theories about who they thought were ultimately responsible for the murder. The left wing, the "old political establishment" and the media were blamed, while claims of involvement of others in the murder abounded. It was said that "the shot came from the left", suggesting that left wing supporters created an aggressive atmosphere around him with their criticism, which was considered ironic because the main left wing criticism of him was that he did just that to others, such as Muslims. The investigators of the crime were unimpressed, saying that the evidence suggested that the murderer had acted alone. May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Volkert van der Graaf (born July 9, 1969) is an animal welfare activist and is the confessed murderer of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. ... This proposed logo for the Information Awareness Office (a US governmental agency) was dropped due to fears that its pseudo-Masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms that refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially but not exclusively in the American sense of the word...

The 2002 elections, and participation in the first Balkenende cabinet

The party decided to maintain Fortuyn's candidacy for the elections, and delay naming a new leader until after the elections. The elections proved a great success for the LPF. They won 26 seats out of 150, becoming the second-largest party in parliament. It is still unclear how many voters based their choice on political conviction and how many voted for the LPF because its leader had been murdered; many voters gave one or both reasons. Mat Herben was chosen to be the new party leader. Together with the CDA (Christian Democrats) and the VVD (Liberals) the party formed part of the governing coalition, supplying several members of Balkenende's cabinet. The Christen-Democratisch App l (CDA, Christian Democratic Appeal) is a political party of the Netherlands that was established in 1980. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from July 22, 2002 until October 16 of the same year. ...

Chaos started the day the cabinet was installed. Only nine hours after the queen had sworn in the cabinet members, junior minister Philomena Bijlhout had to resign, following an event at the post-ceremony press conference. A journalist showed her a photograph of her wearing a military uniform, in a militia of Dési Bouterse, and Bijlhout identified herself in the photo. The photograph proved that she had been a member of the militia for longer than she had previously admitted, through the period of the notorious Suriname "December murders" in 1982. Balkenende and Herben forced her to resign following this revelation. A new controversy developed after Bijlhout stated that she would not give up the unemployment benefits she was entitled to for two years, based on her ministerial salary. The party experienced great difficulty in finding a replacement for her in the cabinet, to the increasing impatience of the other coalition parties. Désiré Delano Bouterse of Suriname (born 1945) has been a military sports instructor, coup leader, army leader and a politician in the Nationaal Democratische Partij (NDP). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A few days later, July 26, the new minister for health, Eduard Bomhoff, was reportedly wanting to dismiss one of his top officials, Peter van Lieshout. However, the employment of top officials in the Netherlands is coordinated by the ministry of internal affairs and the minister Johan Remkes said he needed good grounds before dismissing somebody. Lieshout was eventually transferred to another department. Johannes Wijnandus (Johan) Remkes (born in Oosterbroek (Groningen) on 15 June 1951) became a member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch parlement in 1993, for the right-wing liberal party VVD. From 1998 to 2002 he was a State Secretary in the Second cabinet of Wim Kok. ...

Continuous bickering and scandals within the LPF party as a whole, within the LPF parliament faction, between LPF ministers and high-ranking government officials and between LPF officials and the press went on daily for two months. Party officials came and went. The LPF lost two seats in parliament when Winnie de Jong and Cor Eberhard left the party and started a new faction, after they accused the party of lack of internal democracy. Mat Herben was replaced by Harry Wijnschenk as parliamentary faction leader. In the few weeks that Wijnschenk presided things got out of hand even further. Herben was reinstated the day before the cabinet fell.

On October 16, after only 86 days, the new cabinet fell, mainly because the CDA and VVD faction leaders found the LPF to be a liability. The final issue was the open animosity between the two LPF ministers, Eduard Bomhoff (vice prime minister) and Herman Heinsbroek (soon claiming this post for himself, with support of the faction leader). October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ...

Elections 2003 and internal disagreement

A political poll held the day before the cabinet fell, showed that popular support for the LPF had vanished. If new elections would be held, the LPF would lose 23 of its original 26 seats in parliament. Mat Herben, back in office of parliamentary party leaders for one day when the cabinet fell, argued on television that the LPF should choose Heinsbroek as political leader to lead the party toward the new elections that by law had to be held within 83 days, only to learn the next day that Heinsbroek publicly stated he was considering starting his own party - later registered as Lijst Nieuwe Politiek. Winnie de Jong also established her own party: Conservatieven.nl.

Two days after the fall of the cabinet Harry Wijnschenk, who had clearly been unable to lead the party and had unanimously been asked to resign and hand back the position to his predecessor Mat Herben, decided to leave the LPF and continue as a one man parliamentary faction.

Mat Herben led the party to the elections of January 22, 2003. During the campaign, the party recovered slightly from a low point in the polls of only two seats, and ended up with 8 seats. By 2005 however, polls showed a further drop to just one seat. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In february 2003 Michiel Smit, prominent LPF-member and partysecretary in Rotterdam, left the LPF and founded New Right (Netherlands). The party led by Smit got 0,3% at the European elections and is polled by Maurice de Hond for several seats in National parliament. New Right (Nieuw Rechts) has european connections with the Vlaams Belang and Front National. Filip Dewinter about Michiel Smit in the Tv-program NOVA: "he is a talent and has my support". Michiel Smit Nieuw Rechts (New Right) is a patriotic party Dutch political party, founded by Michiel Smit, who was partysecretary of Pim Fortuyn. ...

In August 2004, the eight Members of Parliament for the LPF separated themselves from the rest of the party, and continued on their own. They wanted to keep LPF as their party's name, but obviously the "other" LPF refused to share their name. The chaos continued when in 2005, member of parliament Hilbrand Nawijn started another controversy because of his association with Filip Dewinter, leader of the Belgian far-right Vlaams Belang. This led to his separation of the fraction, forming his own one man party Groep Nawijn. Nawijn is seen as a non-figure in Dutch politics, and polled for no seats in parliamant. The connection with the Vlaams Belang is over, he said there are no stuctural connections planned. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Hilbrand Pier Anne Nawijn (Kampen, 8 August 1948) is a Dutch politician,and until the 22nd of June 2005 a member of Lijst Pim Fortuyn. ... Filip Dewinter (official spelling: Philip Dewinter, born September 11, 1962, Bruges) is a Flemish politician in Belgium. ... Vlaams Belang (English: Flemish Interest) is a Belgian political party. ...

External links

• Official web site