- According to initial forecasts, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats will once again be the strongest party in the parliamentary elections in Denmark.
- However, post-election polls by the broadcasters DR and TV2 on Tuesday evening indicated a complicated race for majorities – it is therefore unclear whether Frederiksen can continue to govern.
- Former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s new party has been predicted a strong result, while his liberal-conservative ex-party Venstre faces clear losses.
Løkke’s new centrist-liberal party, The Moderates, has positioned itself midway between the two traditional political blocs. It is unclear whether the centre-left bloc around Frederiksen’s Social Democrats will achieve a majority without Rasmussen, despite a lead over the centre-right bloc around Venstre boss Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
If the forecast figures are confirmed during the course of the election evening, Denmark is likely to face lengthy negotiations on future government cooperation.
Legend:
Christiansborg Palace is located on the island of Slotsholmen in the center of the Danish capital Copenhagen. It is the only representative building in the world that unites the highest representatives of the executive, legislative and judiciary under one roof at national level.
Reuters/RITZAU SCANPIX
90 of the 179 seats are necessary for a majority in the Danish parliament in Copenhagen. According to the latest projections from TV2, the left-wing red camp should reach 87 seats, and with one seat from the Faroe Islands and two from Greenland, you would have the required 90 seats. The other major broadcaster DR confirmed these projections during the night.
The blue bloc led by Venstre is said to have 73 mandates. Rasmussen’s moderates are forecast to have 16 seats, which could be crucial for a majority.
Cross-bloc government as a goal
Two parliamentary seats each are intended for representatives of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Frederiksen has led Denmark since 2019 with a social-democratic minority government, which mostly relies on parliamentary support for left-wing parties, for example in the strict immigration policy, but also on voices from the right.
This time, the 44-year-old head of government is aiming for a broad, cross-block government with parties on both sides. That also applies if her left-wing camp wins a majority again, she said in the last TV debate of the party leaders on Monday evening. However, observers expect that in the event of a red majority, they could also fall back on this camp.