Denmark's center-left Social Democrats win power after tacking right on immigration, left on welfare


Denmark's center-left Social Democrats won a plurality of seats in Wednesday's national elections, and Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen is expected to form the next government, taking over from outgoing Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of the center-right Liberal Party (Venstre). The Social Democrats and their left-leaning "red bloc" won 91 of the 179 seats in the Folketing, or parliament, while the Liberals and their conservative "blue bloc" won 75 seats, according to exit polls. Support for the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP) collapsed; its 8.7 percent total was less than half what it won in 2015.
Denmark is now the third Nordic country to elect a center-left government in the past year, joining Sweden and Finland.
The Liberal Party has held power for 14 of the past 18 years, and the five "red bloc" parties were able to take back power on a platform of shoring up Denmark's welfare programs after years of cuts and supporting measures to fight climate change. The Social Democrats also tacked right on immigration, supporting the harsh anti-immigration policies the Liberals enacted, thanks in part to pressure from the DPP. The rightward tack on immigration was seen as a big reason the Social Democrats won and the DPP lost support.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Frederiksen, who at 41 would be Denmark's youngest prime minister ever, has said she wants to form a minority government with a broad spectrum of parties. Her party's partners on the left mostly don't support the Social Democrats' immigration policies, but Frederiksen has also ruled out forming a "grand coalition" with the Liberals, as Rasmussen has proposed. Rasmussen said on Wednesday night that he will submit his resignation on Thursday, adding that he'll be "standing by the phone" in case Frederiksen calls for coalition talks.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
An ancient Israeli cave is teaching us new archaeological lessons
The Explainer The cave is believed to be one of the world's oldest burial sites
-
Music reviews: Tyler Childers and Madonna
Feature "Snipe Hunter" and "Veronica Electronica"
-
Art review: Noah Davis
Feature Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, through Aug. 31
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect