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 going for a 3rd term.
Frederiksen, 48, called the vote months earlier than anticipated, buoyed by popular assistance for her handling of US President Donald Trump's danger to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.
Her Social Democrats have lost assistance since the 2022 elections and she is dealing with a strong challenge from two parties on the centre-right, including the Liberal Venstre celebration of Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Denmark is run by union governments and Tuesday's vote will decide whether power will stick with a left-win bloc or transfer to the right.
Latest opinion polls give Frederiksen's Social Democrats by the far the largest share of the vote, on more than 20%, well ahead of the Liberals and Green Left.
Although the election is not being combated on the Greenland crisis, Frederiksen is betting that the "Trump bump" that increased her poll numbers after her defiant stance on Greenland will be enough to hand her a third term in a tight election race.
Denmark, which has long been among the closest US allies in Nato, has rebuffed Trump's quotes to take control of Greenland, and the Danes and their European partners sent out a military contingent to the island last January.
Broadly-speaking, nevertheless, there is a large consensus in Denmark on diplomacy, so it is domestic issues that have controlled the campaign trail.
Instead, the state of the economy and the expense of living are key concerns, 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 farming has also end up being a concern for voters, with some celebrations including Frederiksen's calling for a ban.
However, her celebration's lead in the surveys is not likely to be sufficient to keep the 90 seats she requires to hold a bulk in parliament.
After a commanding win in 2022, Frederiksen led a coalition throughout the middle, that saw her Social Democrats coordinate with the centrist Moderates and right-of-centre Liberals, and all 3 celebrations are down considerably in the surveys.
Troels Lund Poulsen of the Liberals has become another prospect for prime minister, but he needs a strong proving in Tuesday's vote.
Even with the biggest vote share, the Social Democrats are heading for their weakest lead to more than a century. In last year's local elections, they dropped to 17%.
The surveys recommend neither the "red" left-wing bloc nor the "blue" bloc on the right will have the ability to form a majority without on the centrist Moderates of Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen to serve as kingmaker.
The 4 parliamentary seats held by Greenland and the Faroe Islands, might likewise show prominent, with the possibility for the very first time in years that a minimum of one of the Greenlandic seats flips from red to blue.
Rasmussen, who likewise impressed Danes with his handling of the Greenland stand-off, has already voiced his ambition to take on the job of royal private investigator - a crucial role in forging a governing coalition.
However, the royal investigator normally ends up being the next prime minister, and Rasmussen has actually indicated he has no desire to lead the nation again, having actually served 2 terms as prime minister in the past.
He told reporters that he desired to be at the forefront of forming the next government's policy, with Denmark requiring to "stand together at a time of department".