LDD is not a traditional party, which is part of its success. The party is an attractive alternative to voters that are fed up with all politics. Because it has no history, LDD does not have to explain what it did in government. Nor does it have to reckon with traditional organisations such as unions or employers’ and farmers’ associations.

Nevertheless, LDD is just like any other party when it comes to drawing up the election lists. The higher a candidate appears on the list, the greater the chances of election. That’s why the drawing up of the lists often ends in bitter fighting. Usually the party leadership gets the final say.

In the federal elections of 2007, LDD did not give much thought to its lists, as it never expected to get all that many representatives elected. This time LDD wants to avoid that mistake. And there is no lack of candidates. Ever since it became obvious that LDD was serious, it has attracted enthusiasts of all kinds. “Like moths to lamp,” according to De Standaard.

Some of the hopefuls, like Professor Boudewijn Bouckaert or former journalist Derk-Jan Eppink, are ideologically close to Jean-Marie Dedeckers’s anti-interventionism. Other people are more of a surprise, like former senator Mimount Bousakla, who used to call herself a socialist.

Last week, the announcement that Dr Luc Beaucourt was to join LDD came as a bit of a bombshell. Beaucourt is well-known for campaigning against road accidents, while LDD considers speed limits more or less an infringement of personal liberty. By the end of the week, Beaucourt was no longer a candidate, because, he said, it was not compatible with his work as a hospital doctor.

Beaucourt’s brief stint caused nervousness in LDD’s party ranks, as it was expected that he would be topping the Antwerp list. Bousakla announced that she would no longer be a candidate, as long as her position on the list was unsure. At around the same time, it became known that Jurgen Verstrepen (former Vlaams Belang), another Antwerp hopeful, had fallen out of grace. In Limburg, John Vrancken (another former Vlaams Belang member) announced he was leaving the party, as “newcomers always get the best deal”. It’s all very, very traditional. Although that does not stop LDD.