of vote in January 2003 general election
Anti-immigration party founded in February 2002. Its charismatic leader Pim Fortuyn was assasinated in May 2002, just before the Dutch general election. There was a massive reaction against the killing, leading to a huge sympathy vote for the party. But from this high point, it has been all downhill for the party. In 2002 it achieved 17 per cent of the vote (26 seats in parliament). After the January 2003 general election it was left with just eight seats.
In fact, the party is only well-known for the views of its founder, the author of a a book called 'Against the Islamification of Our Culture' which argues that immigrants should embrace Dutch culture and leave their own values behind. Fortuyn, who was gay, attacked Islam as a backward culture and a threat to the Netherland's permissive society. Following local elections in March 2002, Liveable Rotterdam (as the party is known in Rotterdam) gained control of the Rotterdam city council (17 seats on 45-seat council).The LPF stood for the first time in European parliamentary elections (in June 2004) and failed to win representation.