Our column Inside Denmark takes a closer look at the stories we’ve been talking about over the last seven days. This week, our new editor Becky Waterton asks if we’re any closer to getting a new government.
Hej,
This is my first Inside Denmark since taking over from Michael Barrett at the start of the month. The news of Mike leaving received a lot of lovely comments and emails from readers who have followed his reporting over the years, and I hope I can continue his hard work in my own stint on the site.
I asked you to tell me what you want from The Local Denmark before Easter, and the results have been very useful for me, helping me to get to know you all and the kinds of issues which are important to you. Feel free to get in touch if you ever have a question or article idea (and that includes word of the day suggestions!), either as a comment on the site or via news@thelocal.dk.
Anyway, on to the news.
Denmark’s election was more than two weeks ago and we still don’t seem to be any closer to knowing who the ‘winner’ is. Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen has been leading negotiations as kongelig undersøger and looks so far to be trying to form a government with all the left-wing parties, as well as the unaligned Moderates.
Meanwhile, the Moderates are refusing to take part in any further meetings with Frederiksen unless she negotiates with two of the right-wing parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals.
Frederiksen has said previously that she’s open to leading a cross-bloc government, but the centre-right Liberals have said they’re not interested in ruling with her, which more or less rules out the centrist government Moderate leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen wants.
Instead, the Liberals want a right-wing government. But that also looks unlikely, as the far-right Danish People’s Party have ruled out collaborating with the Moderates (and vice versa), and the right wing bloc needs support from both parties to reach a 90-seat majority (not to mention two of the three independent MPs who have all dropped out of right-wing parties since the election).
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What about a left-wing government, then?
Well, the Moderates and the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) are not massively keen on working together, although the fact that both parties are taking part in negotiations seems to suggest that they’re open to the idea. But if Løkke’s threat to pull out of meetings is real, then this is also off the table, at least for now.
This all means that we’re in somewhat of a stalemate. If Denmark is going to have a new government any time soon – which it needs before the processing of citizenship applications can be resumed – at least one party will need to have a change of heart.
Thanks for reading,
Becky Waterton
Editor, The Local Denmark
Inside Denmark is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday.