Wybren van Haga, the former VVD MP who was thrown out of the party for breaking an undertaking to put his property business at arm’s length, has been promoted to second place on the list of parliamentary candidates for far right party Forum voor Democratie.

Van Haga, who refused to resign as an MP and later joined FvD, had been in fifth place on the party’s list, but was promoted after three other candidates resigned as the party fell apart amid claims of racism and anti-Semitism.

Freek Jansen, who sparked the row for failing to tackle anti-Semitism within the youth wing, remains in seventh place on the list, which also include’s murdered politician Pim Fortuyn’s former driver Hans Smolders. Party founder Thierry Baudet and the only current MP is campaign leader.

The list of candidates for the party’s March 2021 election campaign was published on Saturday evening.

Senators

Meanwhile, seven senators who left FvD in the wake of the dispute have signed up for the new splinter party formed by Annabel Nanninga and Joost Eerdmans.

Nanninga, a senator and Amsterdam city councillor, has formed new right wing party JA21 with Eerdmans, a Rotterdam politician who was also on the earlier FvD candidates’ list.

FvD, which won 12 seats in the 75-seat senate, now has just two senators. Three others left earlier to form their own grouping behind FvD co-founder Henk Otten. The three former FvD MEPs have also joined JA21.

According to the latest opinion polls FvD is on course to win three or four seats in the election next March. It currently holds two but at the height of its popularity 18 months ago the party was projected to take more than 20.