Elections in Denmark

The feeling in Denmark: Løkke is starting to soften towards the left

In Denmark, the “desert walk they call the government negotiations” has now been going on for a month, writes Berlingske. Not much has happened in practice, but several people have recently sensed a different tone from the wave-maker in the middle, the Moderates’ party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Around the election, Løkke basically ruled out the possibility of any form of cooperation with the left-wing Unity Party. But now he speaks of party leader Pelle Dragsted as a “good man” and says that the most important thing is what policy the government will pursue. Newspapers, experts and right-wing parties all interpret this as a “cautious softening” of a centre-left government.

Løkke himself thinks his words are being overinterpreted, and the Moderates’ group leader calls it “nonsense with nonsense on top”.

Regardless, patience is starting to wear thin. In various articles in the newspaper Politiken, voices are raised for both increased constructivism and new elections.

Løkke: New Danish government still far away

A new Danish government is still far away. This is according to Lars Løkke Rasmusen, who leads the center-right Moderate party, which gained a leadership position after the election in April, writes DR.

He says that one requirement from his side for sitting in government is that the government does not pursue a red economic policy.

“We understand that we have 14 seats and cannot decide everything ourselves. But it is simply the case that the Danes have voted for a parliament in which there is no red majority,” he says.

The task of forming a government has gone to the leader of the Social Democrats, Mette Frederiksen, who has been in negotiations with parties on both the right and the left since the election.
Danish elections — it matters

Danska valet — det gäller saken

• The elections in Denmark on March 24 resulted in the left-wing bloc receiving 84 seats, the right-wing bloc 77 and the center-right Moderate party 14 seats. Since then, the right-wing parties have suffered a couple of defections.
• The Social Democrats and the right-wing party Venstre made their worst elections ever. Overall, it was a divided parliament with many small and medium-sized parties.
• No bloc gained a majority of its own, which gave the Moderates and party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen a crucial role as a wave-maker.
• Mette Frederiksen (S) was tasked by the king to try to form a government.
• The government negotiations have been difficult and so far fruitless.