Danish Prime Minister's Early Election Gamble Pays Off... Ruling Left-Wing Coalition Maintains Majority

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's gamble on an early general election has paid off, allowing her to retain her position and form a new government.

According to the British daily The Guardian on the 1st (local time), the ruling Social Democrats will be able to continue leading the government following the early general election held in Denmark.

With the vote count completed, the Social Democrats recorded their highest vote share in over 20 years, and the left-wing coalition led by the Social Democrats narrowly maintained a majority. The Social Democrats secured 27.5% of the vote, and the left-wing coalition won 87 out of 179 seats. Including one seat from the overseas autonomous Faroe Islands and two seats from Greenland, which traditionally supports left-wing lawmakers, the coalition barely secured a majority with 90 seats?one more than half.

The Guardian reported that based on the election results, Prime Minister Frederiksen will have the first right to negotiate the formation of the government.

The Social Democrats achieved better results than exit polls had predicted. Earlier, The Guardian reported that exit polls estimated the Social Democrats’ vote share at 23%, with the left-wing coalition expected to secure only 85 seats, falling short of a majority. It also noted that the right-wing coalition failed to secure a majority, and that the Moderates, founded by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in June and expected to become the third-largest party in the parliament in this election, could hold the casting vote in government formation.

Contrary to the exit polls, the left-wing coalition secured a majority of seats, marking a successful gamble on the early election by Prime Minister Frederiksen.

Frederiksen, who took office in 2019 as Denmark’s youngest-ever prime minister, gained popularity for her firm COVID-19 containment measures during the pandemic. However, her decision in November 2020 to cull all 17 million minks in the country after a COVID-19 variant was detected at mink farms sparked controversy. In June, a Danish parliamentary committee judged that the government’s mink culling decision lacked legal justification and devastated Denmark’s fur industry. Denmark is Europe’s largest fur exporter. Facing the so-called “mink scandal,” Frederiksen announced last month that the general election, originally scheduled for June next year, would be held seven months early.

On the 5th of last month, Frederiksen announced the early election, stating that she wanted a broad government encompassing both left and right to address the crisis. Accordingly, it is expected that Frederiksen will negotiate government formation not only with the left-leaning parties but also with the Moderates.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who founded the Moderates, previously served as prime minister from 2009 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019 as a member of the right-leaning Liberal Party. Former Prime Minister Rasmussen has also expressed a desire to see a centrist government that includes both left and right.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.