 In 1997 he was reelected, this time with the 72.9% of the votes.In October 1998, Premier Massimo D'Alema nominated him Minister of Welfare; however, after the assassination of his advisor Massimo D'Antona in October 1999, Bassolino resigned in order to focus his activities on Naples.In 2000, he ran for the presidency of Campania, which raised some controversies.