Pim Fortuyn

Dr. Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (surname pronounced somewhat like for-TOYN, IPA: {{IPA|}}), (February 19, 1948 – May 6, 2002), was a controversial politician in the Netherlands who formed his own party List Pim Fortuyn (LPF). He was assassinated during the 2002 Dutch national election campaign by Volkert van der Graaf, a white collar left-wing environmentalist. Fortuyn could perhaps best be described as a liberal right-wing populist, though some of his ideas were rather leftist; he was in favour of free public transportation and reducing the size of the Dutch military.

Reasons for success

Many opinion leaders have tried to explain the rise of Fortuyn and his appeal with a large segment of the voters. A widely held view focuses on a perceived "gap" between politicians and common citizens: according to this account the feelings and complaints of the population, in particular concerning immigration and integration, were ignored for reasons of political correctness or simply because politicians were out of touch with their voters. Others pointed at Fortuyn's charisma and his oratory skills, which were in stark contrast with those of some of his opponents. Finally, some feel the political culture at the time was to blame - the traditional emphasis on consensus within Dutch politics (Polder Model) was further heightened during the coalition governments of former enemies PvdA and VVD (the mainstream left- and right-wing parties respectively). These governments were also known for what are sometimes called "back room deals": intensive collaboration between the government and the coalition parties in the parliament. All this had led to increasingly similar political platforms for the coalition parties, a development that Fortuyn used to his advantage, some would say.

Related Topics:
Political correctness - Charisma - Consensus - Polder Model - PvdA - VVD

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Of course, the explanations mentioned above are not mutually exclusive, and many believe several of these factors, and others, have played a role.

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