Danish voters went to the polls on Tuesday in a snap parliamentary election called by social democrat Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who is seeking a third term in the wake of a crisis sparked by US President Donald Trump’s push to take control of Greenland.
Two exit polls, conducted by Danish public broadcaster DR and private broadcast channel TV2 after polling stations closed at 20:00 CET, predicted that her current coalition will take between 83 and 86 seats in the 179-seat parliament. The right-wing bloc is expected to get between 75 and 78 seats, while the centrist Moderates led by former PM and current foreign affairs minister Lars Løkke Rasmussenare seen as becoming the kingmaker with 14 predicted seats.
Far-right gains and liberal resurgence
But the far-right Danish People’s Party under former MEP Morten Messerschmidt was also celebrating tonight, as it tripled its vote share to over 9%, according to the latest vote count, offsetting its weak showing at the last elections in 2022.
At around the same margin projections now show the Liberal Alliance under Alex Vanopslagh. If confirmed it would mean that they have quadrupled their share compared to 2022.
Frederiksen’s outgoing three-party administration was the first in decades to straddle the political divide. It remains to be seen whether this election will result in a repeat.
The four overseas seats held by Denmark’s two semi-autonomous territories, two for Greenland and two for the Faroe Islands, could tip the balance, seeing that the election result is very close.
Rasmussen rules himself out as premier but offers formation role
On the eve of the election Rasmussen insisted that he wasn’t interested in the top job this time round, but put himself forward to be the “royal investigator”, leading the negotiations for finding a new majority across the middle of the political spectrum.
Frederiksen, a Social Democrat who has been in office since 2019, has been praised for her leadership after standing her ground against Trump’s repeated demands to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark Trump claims the US needs for national security reasons.
Frederiksen is known for strong support of Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s all-out invasion and for a restrictive approach to migration.
Greenland, which took up much of the government’s energy in recent months, has not been a significant issue in the campaign because there is broad agreement on its place in the kingdom.
In the wealthy nation of some 6 million people, the campaign has instead focused on domestic issues, including inflation, the welfare state, and high nitrate levels in agricultural water.
Video editor • Amandine Hess
Additional sources • AP, AFP
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