Danes Vote As PM Mette Frederiksen Seeks Third Term After Greenland Boost

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Adrienne Murray, In Copenhagenand


Paul Kirby, Europe digital editor


Danes are enacting an election with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats intending for a third term.


Frederiksen, 48, called the vote months earlier than expected, buoyed by popular support for her handling of US President Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.


Her Social Democrats have lost support because the 2022 elections and she is dealing with a strong difficulty from 2 parties on the centre-right, consisting of the Liberal Venstre party of Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.


Denmark is run by union governments and Tuesday's vote will choose whether power will stay with a left-win bloc or move to the right.


Latest viewpoint polls give Frederiksen's Social Democrats by the far the biggest share of the vote, on more than 20%, well ahead of the Liberals and Green Left.


Although the election is not being battled on the Greenland crisis, Frederiksen is betting that the "Trump bump" that improved her poll numbers after her bold position on Greenland will suffice to hand her a third term in a tight election race.


Denmark, which has actually long been among the closest US allies in Nato, has actually rebuffed Trump's quotes to take over Greenland, and the Danes and their European partners sent out a military contingent to the island last January.


Broadly-speaking, however, there is a large consensus in Denmark on foreign policy, so it is domestic issues that have actually controlled the campaign trail.


Instead, the state of the economy and the cost of living are essential problems, with Frederiksen proposing a 0.5% wealth tax for the wealthiest 20,000 Danes. The high level of pesticides in drinking water because of pig farming and agriculture has also become an issue for citizens, with some celebrations consisting of Frederiksen's calling for a restriction.


However, her celebration's lead in the polls is not likely to be enough to maintain the 90 seats she needs to hold a bulk in .


After a commanding win in 2022, Frederiksen led a union throughout the middle, that saw her Social Democrats team up with the centrist Moderates and right-of-centre Liberals, and all three celebrations are down significantly in the polls.


Troels Lund Poulsen of the Liberals has actually emerged as another candidate for prime minister, however he needs a strong showing in Tuesday's vote.


Even with the largest vote share, the Social Democrats are heading for their weakest lead to more than a century. In in 2015's local elections, they plunged to 17%.


The surveys recommend neither the "red" left-wing bloc nor the "blue" bloc on the right will be able to form a bulk without relying on the centrist Moderates of Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen to act as kingmaker.


The 4 parliamentary seats held by Greenland and the Faroe Islands, could also show prominent, with the possibility for the very first time in years that a minimum of among the Greenlandic seats flips from red to blue.


Rasmussen, who likewise impressed Danes with his handling of the Greenland stand-off, has currently voiced his aspiration to handle the job of royal detective - a key role in forging a governing coalition.


However, the royal detective usually becomes the next prime minister, and Rasmussen has indicated he has no desire to lead the country once again, having served two terms as prime minister in the past.


He informed press reporters that he wanted to be at the leading edge of forming the next government's policy, with Denmark needing to "stand together at a time of department".