This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2022) |
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government of the Kingdom of Denmark and leader of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is formally appointed by the Monarch, who is head of state.
The first four heads of government were titled premierminister (lit. 'prime minister'), between 1855 and 1920 the title was Konseilspræsident (lit. 'council president'). Since 1920, the title has been Danish : statsminister (lit. 'Minister of State'). [1]
Denmark's current prime minister is Mette Frederiksen representing the social democratic party Social Democrats. Mette Frederiksen took office on 27 June 2019, taking over the position from Lars Løkke Rasmussen, representing the liberal party Venstre . Frederiksen is also the second female prime minister in the history of the country, after fellow socialist party colleague Helle Thorning-Schmidt who served from 2011 to 2015.
No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Party | Election | Cabinet coalition | Monarch (reign) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
1 | Adam Wilhelm Moltke (1785–1864) | 22 March 1848 | 27 January 1852 | 3 years, 311 days | Independent | — | Moltke I H–N | Frederick VII (1848–1863) | ||
— | Moltke II H | |||||||||
1849 | ||||||||||
— | Moltke III H | |||||||||
— | Moltke IV H | |||||||||
2 | Christian Albrecht Bluhme (1794–1866) | 27 January 1852 | 21 April 1853 | 1 year, 84 days | Højre | 1852 | Bluhme I H–N | |||
Feb. 1853 | ||||||||||
3 | Anders Sandøe Ørsted (1778–1860) | 21 April 1853 | 12 December 1854 | 1 year, 235 days | Independent | — | Ørsted H | |||
May 1853 | ||||||||||
4 | Peter Georg Bang (1797–1861) | 12 December 1854 | 12 October 1855 | 304 days | Independent | 1854 | Bang N |
No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Party | Election | Cabinet coalition | Monarch (reign) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
(4) | Peter Georg Bang (1797–1861) | 12 October 1855 | 18 October 1856 | 1 year, 6 days | Independent | 1855 | Bang N | Frederick VII (1848–1863) | ||
5 | Carl Christoffer Georg Andræ (1812–1893) | 18 October 1856 | 13 May 1857 | 207 days | Bondevennerne | — | Andræ H–N | |||
6 | Carl Christian Hall (1812–1888) | 13 May 1857 | 2 December 1859 | 2 years, 203 days | National Liberal | — | Hall I N | |||
1858 | ||||||||||
7 | Carl Edvard Rotwitt (1812–1860) [lower-alpha 1] | 2 December 1859 | 8 February 1860 † | 69 days | Bondevennerne | — | Rotwitt B | |||
— | Carl Frederik Blixen-Finecke (1822–1873) Acting | 8 February 1860 | 24 February 1860 | 16 days | Independent | — | ||||
(6) | Carl Christian Hall (1812–1888) | 24 February 1860 | 31 December 1863 | 3 years, 310 days | National Liberal | — | Hall II N | |||
1861 | ||||||||||
Christian IX (1863–1906) | ||||||||||
8 | Ditlev Gothard Monrad (1811–1887) | 31 December 1863 | 11 July 1864 | 193 days | National Liberal | — | Monrad N | |||
(2) | Christian Albrecht Bluhme (1794–1866) | 11 July 1864 | 6 November 1865 | 1 year, 118 days | Højre | 1864 | Bluhme II H | |||
9 | Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs (1817–1896) | 6 November 1865 | 28 May 1870 | 4 years, 203 days | National Landowners | — | Frijs NG (until 1866) NG–N (from 1866) | |||
Jun. 1866 | ||||||||||
Oct. 1866 | ||||||||||
1869 | ||||||||||
10 | Ludvig Holstein-Holsteinborg (1815–1892) | 28 May 1870 | 14 July 1874 | 4 years, 47 days | Centre | — | Holstein-Holsteinborg NG–N | |||
1872 | ||||||||||
1873 | ||||||||||
11 | Christen Andreas Fonnesbech (1817–1880) | 14 July 1874 | 11 June 1875 | 332 days | National Landowners | — | Fonnesbech NG–N | |||
12 | Jacob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup (1825–1913) | 11 June 1875 | 7 August 1894 | 19 years, 57 days | National Landowners | — | Estrup NG (until 1881) H (from 1881) | |||
1876 | ||||||||||
1879 | ||||||||||
Højre | May 1881 | |||||||||
Jul. 1881 | ||||||||||
1884 | ||||||||||
1887 | ||||||||||
1890 | ||||||||||
1892 | ||||||||||
13 | Tage Reedtz-Thott (1839–1923) | 7 August 1894 | 23 May 1897 | 2 years, 289 days | Højre | — | Reedtz-Thott H | |||
1895 | ||||||||||
14 | Hugo Egmont Hørring (1842–1909) | 23 May 1897 | 27 April 1900 | 2 years, 339 days | Højre | — | Hørring H | |||
1898 | ||||||||||
15 | Hannibal Sehested (1842–1909) | 27 April 1900 | 24 July 1901 | 1 year, 88 days | Højre | — | Sehested H | |||
16 | Johan Henrik Deuntzer (1845–1918) | 24 July 1901 | 14 January 1905 | 3 years, 174 days | Venstre Reform | 1901 | Deuntzer V | |||
1903 | ||||||||||
17 | Jens Christian Christensen (1856–1930) | 14 January 1905 | 12 October 1908 | 3 years, 192 days | Venstre Reform | — | Christensen I V | |||
Frederik VIII (1906–1912) | ||||||||||
1906 | Christensen II V | |||||||||
18 | Niels Neergaard (1854–1936) | 12 October 1908 | 16 August 1909 | 308 days | Venstre Reform | — | Neergaard I V | |||
19 | Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg (1839–1912) | 16 August 1909 | 28 October 1909 | 73 days | Venstre Reform | 1909 | Holstein-Ledreborg V | |||
20 | Carl Theodor Zahle (1866–1946) | 28 October 1909 | 5 July 1910 | 250 days | Social Liberals | — | Zahle I RV | |||
21 | Klaus Berntsen (1844–1927) | 5 July 1910 | 21 June 1913 | 2 years, 351 days | Venstre | 1910 | Berntsen V | |||
Christian X (1912–1947) | ||||||||||
(20) | Carl Theodor Zahle (1866–1946) | 21 June 1913 | 20 April 1918 | 4 years, 303 days | Social Liberals | 1913 | Zahle II RV |
No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Party | Election | Cabinet coalition | Monarch (reign) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
(20) | Carl Theodor Zahle (1866–1946) | 21 April 1918 | 30 March 1920 | 1 year, 344 days | Social Liberals | — | Zahle II RV | Christian X (1912–1947) | ||
1918 | ||||||||||
22 | Otto Liebe (1860–1929) | 30 March 1920 | 5 April 1920 | 6 days | Independent | — | Liebe Caretaker government | |||
23 | Michael Pedersen Friis (1857–1944) | 5 April 1920 | 5 May 1920 | 30 days | Independent | — | Friis Caretaker government | |||
(18) | Niels Neergaard (1854–1936) | 5 May 1920 | 23 April 1924 | 3 years, 354 days | Venstre | Apr. 1920 | Neergaard II V | |||
Jul. 1920 | ||||||||||
Sep. 1920 | ||||||||||
— | Neergaard III V | |||||||||
24 | Thorvald Stauning (1873–1942) | 23 April 1924 | 14 December 1926 | 2 years, 235 days | Social Democrats | 1924 | Stauning I S | |||
25 | Thomas Madsen-Mygdal (1876–1943) | 14 December 1926 | 30 April 1929 | 2 years, 137 days | Venstre | 1926 | Madsen-Mygdal V | |||
(24) | Thorvald Stauning (1873–1942) [lower-alpha 1] | 30 April 1929 | 3 May 1942 † | 13 years, 3 days | Social Democrats | 1929 | Stauning II S–RV | |||
1932 | ||||||||||
1935 | Stauning III S–RV | |||||||||
1939 | Stauning IV S–RV | |||||||||
— | Stauning V S–V–K–RV (national unity) | |||||||||
— | Stauning VI S–V–K–RV (national unity) | |||||||||
26 | Vilhelm Buhl (1881–1954) | 4 May 1942 | 9 November 1942 | 189 days | Social Democrats | — | Buhl I S–V–K–RV (national unity) | |||
27 | Erik Scavenius (1877–1962) | 9 November 1942 | 29 August 1943 | 294 days | Independent | — | Scavenius S–V–K–RV (national unity) | |||
1943 | ||||||||||
No Danish government (29 August 1943 – 5 May 1945). [lower-alpha 2] Office is assumed by the permanent secretary. | ||||||||||
(26) | Vilhelm Buhl (1881–1954) | 5 May 1945 | 7 November 1945 | 186 days | Social Democrats | — | Buhl II S–V–K–RV–DS–DKP (national unity) | |||
28 | Knud Kristensen (1880–1962) | 7 November 1945 | 13 November 1947 | 2 years, 6 days | Venstre | 1945 | Kristensen V | |||
Frederik IX (1947–1972) | ||||||||||
29 | Hans Hedtoft (1903–1955) | 13 November 1947 | 30 October 1950 | 2 years, 351 days | Social Democrats | 1947 | Hedtoft I S | |||
30 | Erik Eriksen (1902–1972) | 30 October 1950 | 30 September 1953 | 2 years, 335 days | Venstre | 1950 | Eriksen V–K | |||
Apr. 1953 | ||||||||||
(29) | Hans Hedtoft (1903–1955) [lower-alpha 1] | 30 September 1953 | 29 January 1955 † | 1 year, 122 days | Social Democrats | Sep. 1953 | Hedtoft II S | |||
31 | H. C. Hansen (1906–1960) [lower-alpha 1] | 1 February 1955 | 19 February 1960 † | 5 years, 18 days | Social Democrats | — | Hansen I S | |||
1957 | Hansen II S–RV–Rfb | |||||||||
32 | Viggo Kampmann (1910–1976) | 21 February 1960 | 3 September 1962 | 2 years, 194 days | Social Democrats | — | Kampmann I S–RV–Rfb | |||
1960 | Kampmann II S–RV | |||||||||
33 | Jens Otto Krag (1914–1978) | 3 September 1962 | 2 February 1968 | 5 years, 152 days | Social Democrats | — | Krag I S–RV | |||
1964 | Krag II S | |||||||||
34 | Hilmar Baunsgaard (1920–1989) | 2 February 1968 | 11 October 1971 | 3 years, 251 days | Social Liberals | 1968 | Baunsgaard RV–K–V | |||
(33) | Jens Otto Krag (1914–1978) | 11 October 1971 | 5 October 1972 | 360 days | Social Democrats | 1971 | Krag III S | |||
Margrethe II (1972–2024) | ||||||||||
35 | Anker Jørgensen (1922–2016) | 5 October 1972 | 19 December 1973 | 1 year, 75 days | Social Democrats | — | Jørgensen I S | |||
36 | Poul Hartling (1914–2000) | 19 December 1973 | 13 February 1975 | 1 year, 57 days | Venstre | 1973 | Hartling V | |||
(35) | Anker Jørgensen (1922–2016) | 13 February 1975 | 10 September 1982 | 7 years, 209 days | Social Democrats | 1975 | Jørgensen II S | |||
1977 | ||||||||||
— | Jørgensen III S–V | |||||||||
1979 | Jørgensen IV S | |||||||||
1981 | Jørgensen V S | |||||||||
37 | Poul Schlüter (1929–2021) | 10 September 1982 | 25 January 1993 | 10 years, 137 days | Conservative | — | Schlüter I K–V–CD–KrF | |||
1984 | ||||||||||
1987 | Schlüter II K–V–CD–KrF | |||||||||
1988 | Schlüter III K–V–RV | |||||||||
1990 | Schlüter IV K–V | |||||||||
38 | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (born 1943) | 25 January 1993 | 27 November 2001 | 8 years, 306 days | Social Democrats | — | P. N. Rasmussen I S–CD–RV–KrF | |||
1994 | P. N. Rasmussen II S–CD–RV | |||||||||
— | P. N. Rasmussen III S–RV | |||||||||
1998 | P. N. Rasmussen IV S–RV | |||||||||
39 | Anders Fogh Rasmussen (born 1953) | 27 November 2001 | 5 April 2009 | 7 years, 129 days | Venstre | 2001 | A. F. Rasmussen I V–K | |||
2005 | A. F. Rasmussen II V–K | |||||||||
2007 | A. F. Rasmussen III V–K | |||||||||
40 | Lars Løkke Rasmussen (born 1964) | 5 April 2009 | 3 October 2011 | 2 years, 181 days | Venstre | — | L. L. Rasmussen I V–K | |||
41 | Helle Thorning-Schmidt (born 1966) | 3 October 2011 | 28 June 2015 | 3 years, 268 days | Social Democrats | 2011 | Thorning-Schmidt I S–RV–SF | |||
— | Thorning-Schmidt II S–RV | |||||||||
(40) | Lars Løkke Rasmussen (born 1964) | 28 June 2015 | 27 June 2019 | 3 years, 364 days | Venstre | 2015 | L. L. Rasmussen II V | |||
— | L. L. Rasmussen III V–LA–K | |||||||||
42 | Mette Frederiksen (born 1977) | 27 June 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 119 days | Social Democrats | 2019 | Frederiksen I S | |||
2022 | Frederiksen II S–V–M | |||||||||
Frederik X (since 2024) |
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Denmark. The prime ministers are listed in order of office, with prime ministers serving multiple premierships listed in order of their first.
The prime minister of Denmark is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not initially have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the monarch, in whom the executive authority was vested. The Constitution of 1849 established a constitutional monarchy by limiting the powers of the monarch and creating the office of premierminister. The inaugural holder of the office was Adam Wilhelm Moltke.
The Social Democrats is a social democratic political party in Denmark. A member of the Party of European Socialists, the Social Democrats have 50 out of 179 members of the Danish parliament, Folketing, and three out of fourteen MEPs elected from Denmark.
The Folketing, also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Established in 1849, until 1953 the Folketing was the lower house of a bicameral parliament, called the Rigsdag; the upper house was the Landsting. It meets in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen.
Poul Holmskov Schlüter was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993. He was the first member of the Conservative People's Party to become Prime Minister, as well as the first conservative to hold the office since 1901. Schlüter was a member of the Folketing for the Conservative People's Party from 1964 to 1994. He was also Chairman of the Conservative People's Party from 1974 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1993.
The Danish Social Liberal Party is a social-liberal political party in Denmark. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905.
The Cabinet of Denmark, officially the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark, is the national cabinet of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has been the chief executive body and the government of the Danish Realm—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland — since the ratification of the Constitution of Denmark in 1848.
The Prime Minister's Office is the cabinet ministry of the Kingdom of Denmark, tasked with assisting the Prime Minister of Denmark, as well as the Cabinet of Denmark and Council of State.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022. He previously served as the 25th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019. He was the leader of the liberal Venstre party from 2009 to 2019. Rasmussen has been a member of the Folketing since 21 September 1994. He also served as County Mayor of Frederiksborg County from 1998 to 2001. Subsequently, he was the Interior and Health Minister from 27 November 2001 to 23 November 2007 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen's first and second cabinets, and then Minister of Finance from 23 November 2007 to April 2009 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen's third cabinet. On 5 April 2009, he succeeded Anders Fogh Rasmussen as prime minister following the latter's appointment as Secretary General of NATO.In the 2011 general election, the government lost its parliamentary majority and Rasmussen tendered the government's resignation to Queen Margrethe II. He was succeeded by Helle Thorning-Schmidt of the Social Democrats on 3 October 2011. In the 2015 general election, the right-wing parties regained a majority in the Folketing. Rasmussen again became prime minister and formed his second cabinet in the same month. This cabinet was made up exclusively of Venstre members, but in November 2016 he was pressured to also include members of Liberal Alliance and Conservative People's Party, forming his third cabinet.On 6 June 2019, he resigned from his position as prime minister after a general election, in which his government was defeated. However, he continued to lead a caretaker government until a new government was formed and sworn in. This was completed on 27 June 2019 and Rasmussen was succeeded as prime minister by Mette Frederiksen. He resigned as the chairman of Venstre in August 2019, and left the party in January 2021. He subsequently formed the Moderates, which campaigned on ending bloc politics, and won 16 seats in the 2022 Danish general election.
The politics of Denmark take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state in which the monarch of Denmark, King Frederik X, is the head of state. Denmark is a nation state. Danish politics and governance are characterized by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both the political community and society as a whole.
Mette Frederiksen is a Danish politician who has been serving as prime minister of Denmark since June 2019, and leader of the Social Democrats since June 2015. The second woman to hold either office, she is also the youngest prime minister in Danish history, the first to be born after Margrethe II's accession to the throne, and the first to serve under Frederik X.
Vice-Prime Minister of Denmark is an office sometimes held by a minister in the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark. In the absence of the Prime Minister of Denmark, the Deputy Prime Minister takes over their functions, such as chairing the Cabinet of Denmark and participating in the Council of State.
General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 5 June 2019 to elect all 179 members of the Folketing; 175 in Denmark proper, two in the Faroe Islands and two in Greenland. The elections took place ten days after the European Parliament elections.
General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 1 November 2022, except in the Faroe Islands, where they were held on 31 October as 1 November was a national day of mourning for victims at sea. Of the 179 members of the Folketing, 175 were elected in Denmark proper, two in the Faroes and two in Greenland. The elections were called on 5 October following an ultimatum to the government by the Social Liberals due to the outcome of a report on the 2020 Danish mink cull by the Mink Commission, which was critical of the government. Voter turnout was 84% in Denmark, 48% in Greenland, and 71% in the Faroes, with a combined turnout of 84% for the realm as a whole.
The Frederiksen I Cabinet took office on 27 June 2019 and succeeded the Lars Løkke Rasmussen III Cabinet following the 2019 Danish general election. Headed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, it was a minority government consisting of the Social Democrats. It relied on parliamentary support from the Red–Green Alliance, the Socialist People's Party, and the Social Liberal Party.
Benny Engelbrecht is a Danish politician who has been a member of the Folketing for the Social Democrats since the 2007 general elections. He served as the Minister of Transport from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Minister of Taxation from 2014 to 2015.
The Mink Commission formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Case of the Culling of Mink is a Danish investigative commission set up by a majority in the Folketing in 2020 to investigate The Mink Case ; the culling of all minks in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic. It began its work on 23 April 2021. The commission consists of national judge Michael Kistrup, who is chairman, as well as law professor Helle Krunke from the University of Copenhagen and lawyer Ole Spiermann from the firm Bruun & Hjejle.
Events in the year 2022 in Denmark.
The Frederiksen II Cabinet is the current Government of Denmark, which took office on 15 December 2022. It succeeded the Frederiksen I Cabinet following the 2022 general election.
Barbara Beatrice Bertelsen is a Danish jurist and senior civil servant. She is the current Permanent Secretary of State at the Prime Minister's Office of Denmark, and as such the head and principal civil servant in the central administration of Denmark. She is the first woman to hold this position and thus the highest-ranking female civil servant in Danish history.