The leader of the Labour party in Rotterdam, Hamit Karakus, has resigned following the party’s poor performance in last week’s local elections.

Labour lost six of its 14 seats in the vote, leaving populist party Leefbaar Rotterdam the clear winner. Former finance minister Jan Kees de Jager is currently putting a coalition administration together in the port city.

Amsterdam’s Labour leader Pieter Hilhorst resigned last week when the party lost its dominant position in the capital. The PvdA had been the biggest party in Amsterdam since 1946 but was convincingly overtaken by D66.

Karakus, a former policeman and estate agent, was alderman on the city council and known for his support for the Rotterdam Zuid city redevelopment project.