On 6 May 2002 nine days before the election Fortuyn was assassinated by a 32-year-old environmental activist . in Hilversum . A few relatively minor riots erupted in The Hague where Melkert was at the time , urging him to make a quick departure from the city . After receiving death threats , including a loaded gun in the mail , he and his family temporarily went into hiding . Melkert 's PvdA lost nearly half its seats , decreasing from 45 to 23 in the 150 seat House of Representatives . The party fell from 1st to 4th place . Melkert resigned as political leader on election night and was replaced by former speaker of the House of Representatives , Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven . Melkert remained in parliament for a short time afterwards . His last major parliamentary debate was on the state of the European Union
assassinated
Assassination of Pim Fortuyn
Ad Melkert