For a while it seemed almost too close to call, as exit polls showed the front-runners in the Danish election, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in a dead heat, battling it out for the ultimate prize, the premiership of Denmark. Election night was an exciting affair in Denmark, and not just because of the promise of post-election parties.
Those going to bed at around 10 pm (as this author did) would have thought, quite rightly, that the blue block, headed by Venstre’s Lars Løkke Rasmussen, had secured a narrow victory. In the early morning light, however, it was revealed that Social Democrat party leader, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, had pulled it off in the last minute, with a little help from her friends in the red block.
At around 10 o’clock this morning, Rasmussen formerly tendered his resignation to the Queen. For the first time since 1994, the Danes have a Prime Minister whose name is something other than Rasmussen and, for the first time ever, they have a Prime Minister who is a woman.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark’s New Prime Minister
Forty-four year old Ms Thorning-Schmidt is a former Member of the European Parliament and has served as party leader for the Social Democrats since 2005. She graduated from the University of Copenhagen with a degree in political science and has been active in politics since high school. She studied politics in Belgium at the Union College of Europe in the early 1990s, where she met her husband, Stephen Kinnock, who is the son of the former British Labour Party leader, Neil Kinnock. Together they have two daughters, Johanna and Camilla.
Bucking recent trends towards austerity measures to combat the global economic crisis, which has also hit Denmark, Ms Thorning-Schmidt campaigned for higher taxes and increased government spending. She has also promised to roll back some of the stricter immigration laws passed by the former government, led by the Venstre party in coalition with the Conservatives and the far right Danish People’s Party.
Ms Thorning-Schmidt campaigned with the slogan ‘Danmark Skal Videre’, translated as ‘Denmark Must Continue’. She has promised to get Denmark out of its economic slump by working with both the private and public sectors to create jobs, to invest in schools and hospitals and to institute green policies. With Denmark suffering its worst economic crisis since the Second World War, she has a big job in front of her. But with a reputation for toughness that helped to reunite her party, it is felt she is up to the task.
Denmark’s New Government: A Fragile Coalition
The so-called ‘red block’, consisting of the Social Democrat, Radikale Venstre, Social Liberal and Red-Green Alliance parties, hold the majority of seats in the folketinget (Parliament) by the slimmest of margins, 89 to 86. With this small majority, they will need to work together when, in truth, they differ on many policy areas, especially concerning the economy and immigration. The Social Democrats are expected to form a coalition with one or more of these parties, all of whom performed strongly in the election.
Helle Thorning –Schmidt has spent the evening and morning basking in the glow of her victory and is expected to visit with the Queen later today to formally request permission to form a new government. Then the hard work begins for Denmark’s first female prime minister.
Sources
- Valg 2011 (Main election page) on DR.dk (in Danish)
- Official Helle Thorning-Schmidt webpage (in Danish)
- Danes vote for their first female prime minister, Guardian.co.uk, 16 September 2011
Beth MacMillan - Beth MacMillan fulfilled her dream of living and traveling in Europe when she, her husband and their two dogs moved to Denmark in 2001 for ...
