A congress for this purpose held in 1989 did not result in much progress towards this goal, although independent parties were still very successful in municipal elections especially in Hilversum and Utrecht.

These branches had no formal ties, and often had radically different programs, sharing only their disdain for the political establishment.

In November 2001 Pim Fortuyn was elected as the party's lead candidate and LN saw rapid growth in opinion polls.

On 10 February, a few months before the election, he was discharged because of a controversial interview published in the Volkskrant newspaper.

Teeven, who had gained some recognition as MP, withdrew his candidacy for the position when a motion of no confidence was not supported by the party's congress.

In 2006, the party announced that it would disband itself: it owed a large debt to the Ministry of the Interior, who had lent them money for the 2003 election, and only a handful of paying members were left.

The core principles of the party included direct democracy, reliable government, downsizing state bureaucracy and law & order policies.

They had a ten-point plan which included: The party were unable to ever obtain any European Parliament or Senate seats.

Internationally, Leefbaar Nederland may be compared to Forza Italia, a populist party centered on a prominent media personality.