View source for Livable Rotterdam

{{Infobox political party
| country          = the Netherlands
| colorcode        = green
| name             = Livable Rotterdam
| native_name      = Leefbaar Rotterdam
| logo             = Logo - Leefbaar Rotterdam.png
| logo_size        = 225px
| leader           = [[Simon Ceulemans]]
| chairman         = [[Pieter van Hoof]]
| leader1_title    = Leader in the Senate
| leader1_name     = 
| leader2_title    = Leader in the House of Representatives
| leader2_name     = 
| leader3_title    = Leader in the European Parliament
| leader3_name     = 
| foundation       = December 2001
| merger           = 
| split            = 
| dissolved        = 
| merged           = 
| seats1_title     = [[Government of Rotterdam|Municipal council of Rotterdam]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|10|45|hex=green}}
| seats3           = 
| ideology         = {{Nowrap|[[Conservative liberalism]] <br /> [[Localism (politics)|Localism]] <br />  [[Fortuynism]]}}
| position         = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/1743123/5-redenen-waarom-geert-wilders-overal-in-de-regio-de-winnaar-van-de-verkiezingen-werd | title=5 redenen waarom Geert Wilders overal in de regio de winnaar van de verkiezingen werd | date=26 November 2023 }}</ref>
| religion         = 
| national         = [[Livable Netherlands]] (2001-2002)<br>[[Pim Fortuyn List]] (2002) <br> [[Forum for Democracy]] (2018–2020) <br> [[JA21]] (2021–present)<ref>{{cite web | title=Weinig enthousiasme bij JA21 om de partij lokaal uit te bouwen | url=https://chrisaalberts.nl/2025/11/17/weinig-enthousiasme-bij-ja21-om-de-partij-lokaal-uit-te-bouwen/ }}</ref>
| youth_wing       = 
| wing1_title      = Thinktank
| wing1            = 
| international    = 
| european         = 
| europarl         = 
| colours          = [[Green]] & [[Black]]
| headquarters     = [[Rotterdam]]
| website          = {{URL|https://www.leefbaarrotterdam.nl/}}
| founder          = [[Ronald Sørensen]]
}}
'''Livable Rotterdam''' ({{langx|nl|Leefbaar Rotterdam}}) is a [[conservative liberal]] and localist political party in the municipality of [[Rotterdam]] in the [[Netherlands]], which was founded by [[Ronald Sørensen]] in 2001. The party was founded at the same time as a number of other ''Leefbaar'' ("Livable") parties which contested municipal and local elections as alternatives to the main Dutch parties.

==History== 
Livable Rotterdam was founded by teacher, union spokesman and former [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] member [[Ronald Sørensen]] and his wife. Sørensen said that his main reason for forming the party was that he did not agree with the way things were going in national politics. After registering the party, he contacted [[Pim Fortuyn]], who at the time was in the public spotlight, and asked him to front the party's campaign for the 2002 local election in Rotterdam. Fortuyn had been selected as leader of the national [[Livable Netherlands]] (LN) party and Livable Rotterdam was initially considered the local counterpart to the LN. However, Fortuyn was later sacked as leader of the LN due to controversial comments he made in an interview and founded his own party, the [[Pim Fortuyn List]] (LPF). Livable Rotterdam chose to retain Fortuyn as its lead candidate and affiliated itself to the LPF. Livable Rotterdam won the council elections of March 2002 due to the charismatic leadership of Fortuyn and saw him elected along with 17 councilors which included Sørensen and [[Marco Pastors]]. This made it the city's largest political party, a position which for the previous thirty years had been held by the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]].

The party consists of numerous members that are new to politics and were attracted to Fortuyn's dreams of political change. The party attracts attention and criticism for the upfront behavior of its members and its unconventional, if sometimes [[right wing|right]]-leaning vision, especially on issues of [[immigration]], crime and inter-culture [[Toleration|tolerance]].

In the municipal elections of 7 March 2006, Livable Rotterdam lost 5%, dropping to 29.7%  of their votes and PvdA gained 15%, making the latter the biggest party again, with 37.4% of the votes. Before the elections, Livable Rotterdam declared it would not enter in a coalition with PvdA and several members even declared that, irrespective of the coalition, they would leave the council if PvdA would become the biggest party (which has happened).

[[File:Pim Fortuyn - May 4.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Pim Fortuyn]]]]
[[File:RonaldSørensen.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Ronald Sørensen]]]]
After the municipal elections of 3 March 2010 the Public Prosecutor in Rotterdam launched an investigation into how [[proxy voting|proxy votes]] were solicited by the party, after an e-mail emerged in which one of the party’s councillors gives tips on how to accumulate these. Ronald Buijt wrote that he had 50 reliable citizens of the city who could take the proxy votes to the polling stations. The electoral council said this went against the spirit of proxy voting, which should only be used at the initiative of the voter. This irregularity was added to a litany of complaints against the poll in Rotterdam in these elections (many of which were caused by the PvdA), which resulted in a recount of all the votes cast. Back then the PvdA only beat Livable Rotterdam by a mere 650 votes, yet both parties had 14 seats in the city council.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/rotterdam-investigate-proxy-voting |title="Rotterdam to investigate proxy voting" |access-date=2010-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312060428/http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/rotterdam-investigate-proxy-voting |archive-date=2010-03-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2500940.ece/After_Florida_and_Harare%2C_a_recount_in_Rotterdam "After Florida and Harare, a recount in Rotterdam"]</ref>

[[Joost Eerdmans]] was elected ''[[lijsttrekker]]'' of Livable Rotterdam on 6 October 2013.<ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.leefbaarrotterdam.nl/index.php/new/comments/joost_eerdmans_lijsttrekker_van_leefbaar_rotterdam/ Joost Eerdmans lijsttrekker van Leefbaar Rotterdam], LeefbaarRotterdam.nl, 6 October 2013</ref> Under his leadership, the party won the [[2014 Dutch municipal elections|2014 municipal election]], retaining its fourteen seats. Since 8 May 2014, Livable Rotterdam leads a coalition with [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]] and [[Democrats 66|D66]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leefbaarrotterdam.nl/newdocs/Coalitieakkoord%202014-2018%20Volle%20Kracht%20Vooruit.pdf |title=Coalitieakkoord 2014-2018 Volle Kracht Vooruit |website=Leefbaar Rotterdam |accessdate=11 July 2014 |language=Dutch}}</ref>

As of 2022, the party leads a new coalition with VVD, D66 and Denk
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/06/leefbaar-and-denk-cross-boundaries-to-run-city-council-in-rotterdam/ | title=Leefbaar and Denk cross boundaries to run city council in Rotterdam | date=8 June 2022 }}</ref>

==Beliefs==
As a municipal party, Livable Rotterdam focuses on matters related to Rotterdam municipality although some of its ideas are comparable to national parties such as the [[Pim Fortuyn List]], [[Party for Freedom]] and [[JA21]] with themes related to integration, security and crime: the party calls for tougher policies against organized and violent criminal activity, more police funding, and expanding local democracy and referendums.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.example.org/ |title=My Favorite Things, Part II |access-date=2024-12-23}}</ref> In 2014, Livable Rotterdam campaigned for a tax relief for Rotterdam residents, stricter crackdowns on youth crime and providing more security for elderly people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/115659/leefbaar-rotterdam-d66-en-cda-presenteren-collegeakkoord |title=Leefbaar Rotterdam, D66 en CDA presenteren collegeakkoord |date=8 May 2014 |access-date=2024-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zorgvisie.nl/leefbaar-rotterdam-wil-veiligheidsofficier-ouderenzorg-1758894w/ |title=Leefbaar Rotterdam wil veiligheidsofficier ouderenzorg |date=7 May 2015 |access-date=2024-12-23}}</ref>

==National affiliations==
Livable Rotterdam was started as a spin-off of the national party [[Livable Netherlands]] but is commonly seen as the local party of the [[Pim Fortuyn List]] (LPF), the national party founded by [[Pim Fortuyn]] after he was fired as [[lead candidate]] of the Livable Netherlands party in spring 2002. Livable Rotterdam and the LPF are considered to have similar policy ideas. After the LPF was dissolved in 2008, Livable Rotterdam was allied with the [[Forum for Democracy]] (FvD) party for a brief period in 2018 before distancing itself from the FvD. Today, Livable Rotterdam has connections with the [[JA21]] party founded by Livable Rotterdam member [[Joost Eerdmans]] other JA21 members are [[Ingrid Coenradie]] and [[Simon Ceulemans]].<ref>{{cite web | title=De kandidatenlijst van JA21: Een klein netwerk, wat Leefbaren en kneedbare jongeren | date=16 August 2025 | url=https://chrisaalberts.nl/2025/08/16/de-kandidatenlijst-van-ja21-een-klein-netwerk-wat-leefbaren-en-kneedbare-jongeren/ }}</ref><ref>[https://forumvoordemocratie.nl/actueel/fvd-en-leefbaar-rotterdam-starten-alliantie FVD en Leefbaar Rotterdam starten alliantie!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523155953/https://forumvoordemocratie.nl/actueel/fvd-en-leefbaar-rotterdam-starten-alliantie |date=23 May 2019 }} Forum voor Democratie, 13 juni 2017</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://chrisaalberts.nl/2020/12/18/ja21-als-joost-eerdmans-leefbaar-rotterdam-niet-bij-elkaar-kon-houden-waarom-ja21-dan-wel/ | title=JA21: Als Joost Eerdmans Leefbaar Rotterdam niet bij elkaar kon houden, waarom JA21 dan wel? | date=18 December 2020 }}</ref> Although not an officially associated party, some elected representatives of Livable Rotterdam such as [[Barry Madlener]], Ingrid Coenradie (who later joined JA21) and [[Ehsan Jami]] are affiliated with [[Geert Wilders]]' [[Party for Freedom]] (PVV), which campaigns on similar issues at a national level. Sørensen previously served as a Senator for the PVV.<ref>{{aut|Nevin Atici & Eefje Oomen}} "Uit de schaduw van Fortuyn; Rotterdam is onveilig en vies vinden de nieuwe fractieleden", [[Rotterdams Dagblad]], 9 maart 2002</ref>

==Electoral results==
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align: right;"
! rowspan=2| Election
! rowspan=2| Leader
! colspan=2| Votes
! colspan=2| Seats
! rowspan=2| Position
! rowspan=2| Coalition
|-
! #
! %
! #
! ±
|-
! [[2002 Dutch municipal elections|2002]]
|align="left"| [[Pim Fortuyn]]
| 93,852
| 37.8
| {{Composition bar compact|17|45|hex=green}}
| {{increase}} 17
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|Coalition with [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]] and [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]]}}
|-
! [[2006 Dutch municipal elections|2006]]
|align="left"| [[Marco Pastors]]
| 77,284
| 29.7
| {{Composition bar compact|14|45|hex=green}}
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{decrease}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2010 Dutch municipal elections|2010]]
|align="left"| [[Marco Pastors]]
| 63,647
| 28.6
| {{Composition bar compact|14|45|hex=green}}
| {{steady}} 0
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2014 Dutch municipal elections|2014]]
|align="left"| [[Joost Eerdmans]]
| 59,505
| 27.5
| {{Composition bar compact|14|45|hex=green}}
| {{steady}} 0
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|Coalition with [[Democrats 66|D66]] and [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]]}}
|-
! [[2018 Dutch municipal elections|2018]]
|align="left"| [[Joost Eerdmans]]
| 47,312
| 20.5
| {{Composition bar compact|11|45|hex=green}}
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2022 Dutch municipal elections|2022]]
|align="left"| [[Robert Simons (politician)|Robert Simons]]
| 39.972
| 20.01
| {{Composition bar compact|10|45|hex=green}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{steady}} 1st
|  {{yes2|Coalition with [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]], [[Democrats 66|D66]] and [[DENK (political party)|DENK]]}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Leefbaar Rotterdam}}
* {{Official website|https://www.leefbaarrotterdam.nl/}} (in Dutch)

{{Political parties in the Netherlands}}

[[Category:Local political parties in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Government of Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Nationalist parties in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Anti-Islam sentiment in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Right-wing populism in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Right-wing populist parties]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 2001]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in the Netherlands]]