The successor to Kok as party leader, Ad Melkert, announced he would step down to make way for new blood in the party.
"It's a disastrous result," said Labour's campaign manager, Jacques Monasch. "It's beyond a landslide."
The VVD's parliamentary party leader, Hans Dijkstal, indicated that he, like Melkert, would step down.
Pundits had predicted that Fortuyn's murder would prompt a big voter showing. Turnout was estimated at around 80 percent, significantly higher than four years ago.
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