Editing Pim Fortuyn List (section)

===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>