Denmark Election Results: Close Race & Potential Coalition Government
Denmark’s left-leaning bloc, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, emerged as the largest force in Tuesday’s general election but fell short of securing a majority, according to exit polls released late Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The polls, conducted by Danish public broadcaster DR and television channel TV2, project between 83 and 86 seats for the left-wing coalition in the 179-seat parliament. The right-wing bloc is forecast to win between 75 and 78 seats. The centrist Moderate Party, with 14 seats, is poised to grow a kingmaker in the formation of the next government, reported LRT.lt.
The results mark a significant setback for Frederiksen’s Social Democrats, who garnered only 19.2 percent of the vote – the lowest share since 1901, down from 27.5 percent in 2022, according to DR’s exit poll. Conversely, the far-right Danish People’s Party nearly tripled its support, achieving between 7.5, and 7.7 percent of the vote, Delfi.lt reported.
The outcome sets the stage for complex coalition negotiations in the coming days and weeks, as no single party is expected to command a majority. Frederiksen, who has served as prime minister since 2019, was widely considered the frontrunner heading into the election. Since 2022, she has led an unprecedented cross-party government, receiving praise for her handling of repeated attempts by former U.S. President Donald Trump to acquire Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory.
The Danish People’s Party’s gains reflect a broader shift in the political landscape, though the implications for coalition building remain unclear. The Moderate Party, led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, will likely hold significant leverage in determining the composition of the next government. Rasmussen previously served as prime minister for the Liberal Party from 2009 to 2015 and again from 2015 to 2019.
The election took place amid concerns about immigration, the cost of living, and the future of Denmark’s welfare state. Frederiksen’s Social Democrats campaigned on a platform of strengthening social welfare programs and addressing climate change, while the right-wing opposition focused on issues such as immigration control and economic growth.
As of Wednesday afternoon, official results were still being tallied, and the final seat distribution may differ slightly from the exit poll projections. Negotiations between party leaders are expected to begin shortly, with the aim of forming a stable governing coalition.