THE HAGUE, 29/01/03 - Today, the Lower House will say farewell to 46 members who were not chosen at the 22 January general election, or did not stand for election. A number of them played leading roles over the past years.

The prominent figures who are leaving include former Economic Affairs Minister Annemarie Jorritsma and former Transport Minister Tineke Netelenbos. Neither was available for re-election after the fall of the cabinet last October.

Another familiar face to disappear is that of Paul Rosenmoller. He led the leftwing Green (GroenLinks) MPs from 1994 until last December, when he decided to leave politics as a result of persistent threats after the murder of Pim Fortuyn in May. Thom de Graaf resigned last week as parliamentary leader of the center-left (D66) party after a disappointing election result, but will stay on as an MP.

Departure has come quickly for the majority of Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) MPs. The LPF entered the House as a newcomer on 15 May with an unprecedented 26 seats, and joined the government. But internal conflicts led to the collapse of the cabinet in October, and the party was left with only 8 seats last week.