"`I say what I mean and do what I say': Pim Formyn and the victory of the far right in the May 2002 Dutch general elections"

Thurman, Michael (2003) "`I say what I mean and do what I say': Pim Formyn and the victory of the far right in the May 2002 Dutch general elections". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 16, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to look at how the List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) became the second largest party in the Dutch lower house, if for only a short time, by identifying six primary causes: pre-September 11, 2001 malaise; the aftermath of September 11; the local elections in Rotterdam in March 2002; the personality of Pim Fortuyn; the failings of the major parties; and Fortuyn's assassination. I will also look at how the coalition collapsed and why the LPF was routed in the recent parliamentary elections on January 23, 2003. I conclude by examining the possible future of rightist populism in the Netherlands. I begin with a brief history of the LPF.