Concerned right-wing populists and new parties – uncertainty ahead of Denmark elections ‘Hate Putin’s Russia’: This Russian oligarch wants to give up his passport

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., nearly 4.3 million Danes now have the opportunity to make their mark. Among them are more than 200,000 new voters. The first predictions are expected immediately after the polls close in the evening, with a provisional final result during the election night. Rarely has it been so uncertain what the next Danish government will look like.

In total, 179 seats in Copenhagen’s parliament are at stake. Two are for representatives of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which are officially part of the Danish Kingdom.

Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has led Denmark since her election victory more than three and a half years ago with a minority government made up entirely of her party. For political majorities, she relies mainly on the support of her left-wing camp, but in the strict immigration policy, for example, on votes from the conservative right-wing bloc.

This time Frederiksen is aiming for a government beyond the traditional bloc borders that is rare for her country. In view of the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and other crises, the 44-year-old believes it is the right time to establish broad government cooperation in the political center.

A centre-right alliance, however, does not want to participate. This blue bloc is led by the leader of the liberal-conservative party Venstre, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. It consists of six liberal, conservative and right-wing parties. Among them is the right-wing populist Danish People’s Party, which is in deep crisis: it had a staggering 21.1 percent in 2015 and then dropped to 8.7 percent in 2019 – and could now even pass the low 2% threshold. to enter parliament. . This is on the one hand due to internal party disputes, but on the other hand due to the fact that the immigration issue hardly played a role in the election campaign.

Two former top politicians left Venstre, also in crisis, in 2021 to found their own parties. Former Foreign Minister Inger Støjberg founded the so-called Danish Democrats, ex-Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen founded the Moderates. Many true Venstre voters are now attracted to these two parties.

Løkke, in particular, could shake up the political status quo in the elections: while Støjberg is in the blue bloc, the former prime minister is right in between the political camps. Polls show that both the left and right blocs would not have a majority without the moderates. That could give Løkke the key role of kingmaker.

Just as in the 2019 elections – at the time as Venstre boss – he advocates cross-block cooperation. Venstre boss Ellemann-Jensen, on the other hand, wants to get him by his side. “If the things you dream of grew together in our former backyard… yes, come home,” he said in a televised debate on Sunday between the leaders of the 14 parties with a chance of running for parliament. come. to Lokke. (sda/dpa)