In Pim's Shadow

PETER HILZ/HOLLANDSE HOOGTE

Pim Fortuyn, 1948-2002

Success in populist politics depends on the party leader's jugular instinct for voter discontent. But can a populist party succeed without its leader?

That's the dilemma facing List Pim Fortuyn (LPF), the second-largest party in the Dutch government, which formally presented its legislative program last week. Pim Fortuyn, the party's charismatic founder, shattered the comfortable consensus of Dutch politics with his critique of the mainstream parties and his tough talk on immigration. Since he was slain just days before last May's election, the LPF has been trying to plumb a line through rough leadership battles, public-relations snafus and...

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