Immigration, cost of living and Greenland: Danish government wins elections but barely

Frederiksen has been in power since 2019, the year in which she became the Nordic country’s youngest ever prime minister

It was the Social Democrats’ worst result in more than 100 years, but it could be enough for Mette Frederiksen to remain at the head of the government in Denmark.

The Social Democratic Party, which has governed the country since 2019, received the most votes in this Tuesday’s elections with 21.8%, almost double the vote of the second most voted force, the Popular Socialist Party, with 11.6%.

With practically all the votes counted, the left-wing parties accounted for 48.1% of the votes, while, on the other hand, the group of right-wing parties won 44.1%. The centrist Moderates party also joins the equation, which appears with 7.7%, which will make it fundamental in deciding who will lead Danish destinies.

In power since 2019, the 48-year-old prime minister had campaigned based on her experience and leadership, arguing that these qualities would be essential to face a complex international context, marked by the relationship with the USA and the European response to the war in Ukraine.

Also according to projections, the Social Democrats are expected to win 38 seats in parliament, the Folketing, a significant drop compared to the 50 deputies obtained in the previous elections held in 2022. Despite this, the possibility of a third term is not ruled out, although negotiations for the formation of a government could last for several weeks.

“I am ready to take on this responsibility”, said Frederiksen before supporters, in parliament, in Copenhagen, admitting, however, that the process “will be difficult”.

The party’s decline comes in a context of growing voter dissatisfaction, assuming a central role in concerns. At the same time, migration policy has generated criticism from different quarters: for some left-wing supporters, it is too rigid, but for sectors on the right, it is insufficient and not very credible on an economic level. The issue of Greenland was another of the sensitive issues on the table in these elections, being one of the topics discussed by the prime minister.

Even though this is the party’s worst result since 1903, Frederiksen sought to put the numbers into perspective, highlighting the challenges faced during his years in government, including war and international tensions.

“We had to deal with war, we were threatened by the American president and, in these almost seven years, our popularity fell by 4 percentage points. I think everything is fine”, added the leader of the Social Democrats.

Altogether, the left-wing bloc is expected to secure 84 of the 179 seats in parliament, surpassing the 77 allocated to right-wing parties.