Hung parliament hands Frederiksen the first try

Denmark’s outgoing prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has been formally asked by the palace to see if she can put together a new government after an election that produced no clear winner. Her Social Democrats had their worst showing since 1903, yet they remain the largest party in the 179-seat Folketing.

Why this is messy

The two traditional blocs both fell short of a majority. The left-leaning "red bloc" won 84 seats and the right-leaning "blue bloc" won 77 seats. That means the 14-seat Moderates are suddenly very important.

  • Red bloc: 84 seats
  • Blue bloc: 77 seats
  • Moderates: 14 seats
  • Total seats in parliament: 179

Coalition talks could drag on for weeks. Frederiksen said voters gave a "troublesome" result but added that "a government must be formed." She also told party members she was willing to take on the job again, while warning it would not be easy.

Who holds the cards

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leader of the Moderates, has positioned himself as a centrist kingmaker. He has been foreign minister and has twice served as prime minister. On election night he urged Frederiksen and Venstre leader Troels Lund Poulsen to move toward the centre and join him.

Rasmussen said, with caution, that there was no clear majority to the left or to the right. That leaves the Moderates in a powerful spot to broker a coalition from the centre.

Other party moves and reactions

Troels Lund Poulsen of Venstre said he still aims to be prime minister and ruled out a coalition with the Social Democrats. He told supporters he was pleased Venstre had become the largest party on the blue side.

The Green Left emerged as one of the election's big winners and is now the second largest party in parliament for the first time. Analysts say some leftwing voters abandoned the Social Democrats after three years in a centrist coalition and after Frederiksen’s tougher positions on immigration.

The far-right Danish People’s Party also grew, increasing from 5 seats at the last election to 16 now, though it is still well below its peak in 2015.

Greenland sends a new voice

Greenland’s two seats in the Danish parliament went to Naaja Nathanielsen of Inuit Ataqatigiit and to a Naleraq representative for the first time. Naleraq took 24.6% of the vote in Greenland, up from 12.2% in 2022. The new Naleraq MP, Qarsoq Høegh-Dam, said the result shows it is "a very clear signal that the status quo is not acceptable."

What to expect next

Frederiksen has the first opportunity to try to form a government, and she has mentioned exploring a left-leaning coalition with support from the Moderates. Negotiations are likely to be complex and could take a long time. For now, Denmark is headed into a slow, careful round of deals, compromises and, yes, some political arm wrestling.

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