Danish election produces centre-left bloc

The 2022 Danish parliamentary election will go down in history as one of the most exciting ever. What for a long time looked like a dream position for the former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and the Moderates party as kingmakers, ends with a majority for the current Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s leftwing (red) bloc. A majority, which of course, turned into a highly dramatic night, because in the last hours of election night, some mandates were moved in relation to the current forecasts. 

The Social Democratic Party ended up as the great victor in tonight’s election. With all the votes counted, the party won 27.5 percent of the vote and just about reached the 90 seats necessary for a majority. When the three mandates from the Faroe Islands and Greenland moved to the very end and secured red majority, it triggered violent jubilation at the social democratic election party in Fællessalen at Christiansborg. “I am incredibly happy,” said Mette Frederiksen when she arrived at Christiansborg, “we have been the best choice for more than 20 years […] the Social Democrats went to the polls to form a broad government. If a majority of parties point to me [as Prime Minister] I will see whether it can be done. Because that is what is good for Denmark.”

Despite missing out on the key role of kingmaker in the end, Mr. Løkke is still considered one of the big winners of the election. With 9.3 percent, his centrist-liberal Moderates became the third strongest force on their debut – even though a few weeks ago they were at the two percent hurdle that parties in Denmark have to jump to enter parliament.

However, the red majority win does not mean that Mette Frederiksen’s government will simply continue. Both the Radicals and the Social Democrats themselves have said that they want to investigate the possibility of forming a centrist coalition between both rightwing and leftwing parties. Nevertheless, Mette Frederiksen announced in her speech at the party’s election party that, despite the red majority, she will submit her resignation to the queen: “It is also clear that there is no longer a majority behind the government in its current form. Therefore, tomorrow I will submit the government’s resignation to the queen.” This does not mean that Mette Frederiksen will not become Prime Minister again, as that will have to be negotiated in a so-called “queen round”.