An unpredictable race ultimately gave the governing Social Democratic Party its best showing in two decades, though analysts said it looked set to form a more centrist government.
COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s center-left coalition emerged with a majority of parliamentary seats early Wednesday, after a tight overnight count in an unpredictable general election gave the governing Social Democratic Party its best showing in two decades.
The Scandinavian kingdom is still headed for some uncertainty, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen saying she would formally disband the government and resign her position, setting the stage for a cross-party negotiation that analysts have said is likely to result in a more centrist administration.
In a speech in the early hours of Wednesday celebrating the result, she said that her party had been elected to form a “broad government,” and expressed a desire to work with parties across the political spectrum.
But Ms. Frederiksen, who called early elections in response to anger over a mink cull during the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledged that she was compelled to form a new government because, “It is clear that there is no longer a majority behind the government in its current form.”
With 100 percent of the votes in Denmark counted, the center-left Social Democrats had 50 seats, the most for any party, with the center-right Venstre in second place. With left-leaning seats from the autonomous nations of Greenland and Faroe Islands, the current center-left coalition snagged a majority of one in the 179-seat Parliament.
A new party, the Moderates, led by the former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, came in third with 16 seats, returning Mr. Rasmussen to the Parliament. It was a strong showing, and analysts had said Mr. Rasmussen could play a kingmaker role if left and right were evenly balanced, but the Social Democrats’ success will significantly diminish his influence.
Instead, according to Kasper M. Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen, the focus would be back on Ms. Frederiksen.
“The whole discussion will now be: How will she negotiate with the other parties?” he said, adding that Ms. Frederiksen had promised to bridge divides across the political spectrum. “We will see a prime minister that will be working across the middle.”
Another new party, the right-wing Denmark Democrats — founded by Inger Stojberg, a former immigration minister who was sentenced to two months in jail for illegally ordering the separation of some asylum-seeking couples — also gained 14 seats.
Jasmina Nielsen reported from Copenhagen and Isabella Kwai from London.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
