Danes Vote As PM Mette Frederiksen Seeks Third Term After Greenland Boost

2 days earlier
ShareSave


Adrienne Murray, In Copenhagenand


Paul Kirby, Europe digital editor


Danes are voting in an election with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats going for a third term.


Frederiksen, 48, called the vote months earlier than expected, buoyed by popular support for her handling of US President Donald Trump's risk to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish area.


Her Social Democrats have lost support given that the 2022 elections and she is dealing with a strong obstacle from 2 parties on the centre-right, including the Liberal Venstre party of Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.


Denmark is run by union federal governments and Tuesday's vote will choose whether power will stick with a left-win bloc or move to the right.


Latest opinion polls give Frederiksen's Social Democrats by the far the biggest share of the vote, on more than 20%, well ahead of the Liberals and Green Left.


Although the election is not being battled on the Greenland crisis, Frederiksen is gambling that the "Trump bump" that enhanced her poll numbers after her bold stance on Greenland will suffice to hand her a third term in a tight election race.


Denmark, which has actually long been among the closest US allies in Nato, has actually rebuffed Trump's bids to take over Greenland, and the Danes and their European partners sent out a military contingent to the island last January.


Broadly-speaking, however, there is a large agreement in Denmark on foreign policy, so it is domestic issues that have dominated the project path.


Instead, the state of the economy and the cost of living are crucial concerns, with Frederiksen proposing a 0.5% wealth tax for the wealthiest 20,000 Danes. The high level of pesticides in drinking water due to the fact that of pig farming and has also end up being an issue for voters, with some parties consisting of Frederiksen's requiring a ban.


However, her party's lead in the polls is not likely to be enough to preserve the 90 seats she requires to hold a majority in parliament.


After a commanding win in 2022, Frederiksen led a union throughout the middle, that saw her Social Democrats team up with the centrist Moderates and right-of-centre Liberals, and all three celebrations are down substantially in the surveys.


Troels Lund Poulsen of the Liberals has actually emerged as another prospect for prime minister, but he requires a strong showing in Tuesday's vote.


Even with the largest vote share, the Social Democrats are heading for their weakest lead to more than a century. In last year's regional elections, they plunged to 17%.


The polls recommend neither the "red" left-wing bloc nor the "blue" bloc on the right will be able to form a bulk without relying on the centrist Moderates of Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen to serve as kingmaker.


The four parliamentary seats held by Greenland and the Faroe Islands, might likewise show influential, with the possibility for the very first time in decades that at least among the Greenlandic seats turns from red to blue.


Rasmussen, who likewise impressed Danes with his handling of the Greenland stand-off, has currently voiced his aspiration to take on the task of royal detective - a key function in creating a governing union.


However, the royal investigator typically becomes the next prime minister, and Rasmussen has shown he has no desire to lead the country once again, having served two terms as prime minister in the past.


He told press reporters that he desired to be at the leading edge of shaping the next federal government's policy, with Denmark needing to "stand together at a time of division".