Politics of Denmark

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Politics of Denmark

Dansk politik
National Coat of arms of Denmark.svg
Polity type Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Constitution Constitution of Denmark
Legislative branch
Name Parliament
Type Unicameral
Meeting place Christiansborg Palace
Presiding officer Søren Gade, Speaker of the Parliament
Executive branch
Head of State
Title Monarch
Currently Frederik X
Appointer Hereditary
Head of Government
Title Prime Minister
Currently Mette Frederiksen
AppointerMonarch
Cabinet
Name Cabinet of Denmark
Current cabinet Frederiksen II Cabinet
LeaderPrime Minister
Ministries 18
Judicial branch
Name General Judicial System
Courts Courts of Denmark
Supreme Court
Chief judgeThomas Rørdam
Christiansborg Palace is home to the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the Danish government. Christiansborg flags 02.JPG
Christiansborg Palace is home to the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the Danish government.

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. [1] 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.

Contents

Executive power is exercised by the cabinet of Denmark (commonly known as "the Government", Danish: regeringen), presided over by the Prime Minister (statsminister) who is first among equals. Legislative power is exercised by the Folketing, the unicameral parliament, and secondarily by the Cabinet, although it is common that members of the Folketing are also members of the Cabinet. Members of the judiciary are nominated by the executive (conventionally by recommendation of the judiciary itself), formally appointed by the monarch and employed until retirement.

Denmark has a multi-party system, with two large parties, and several other small but significant parties. No single party has held an absolute majority in the Folketing since the beginning of the 20th century. [2] Thirteen parties have ballot access for the 2019 Danish general election, three of which did not contest 2015 general election. Since only four post-war coalition governments have enjoyed a majority, government bills rarely become law without negotiations and compromise with both supporting and opposition parties. Hence, the Folketing tends to be more powerful than legislatures in other EU countries. The Constitution does not grant the judiciary power of judicial review of legislation; however, the courts have asserted this power with the consent of the other branches of government. Since there are no constitutional or administrative courts, the Supreme Court also deals with constitutional matters.

On many issues the political parties tend to opt for co-operation, and the Danish state welfare model receives broad parliamentary support. This ensures a focus on public-sector efficiency and devolved responsibilities of local government on regional and municipal levels.

The degree of transparency and accountability is reflected in the public's high level of satisfaction with the political institutions, while Denmark is also regularly considered one of the least corrupt countries in the world by international organizations. [3] The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Denmark as "full democracy" in 2016. [4] According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Denmark is 2023 the most electoral democratic country in the world. [5]

Monarchy

King Frederik X Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark in 2021.jpg
King Frederik X

King Frederik X has reigned as King and head of state since 14 January 2024. In accordance with the Danish Constitution the monarch as head of state is the theoretical source of all executive and legislative power. [6] However, since the introduction of parliamentary sovereignty in 1901, a de facto separation of powers has been in effect. [7]

The text of the Danish constitution dates back to 1849. Therefore, it has been interpreted by jurists to suit modern conditions. In a formal sense, the monarch retains the ability to deny giving a bill royal assent. In order for a bill to become law, a royal signature and a countersignature by a government minister are required. [6] The monarch also chooses and dismisses the Prime Minister, although in modern times a dismissal would cause a constitutional crisis. On 28 March 1920, King Christian X was the last monarch to exercise the power of dismissal, sparking the 1920 Easter Crisis. All royal powers called royal prerogative, such as patronage to appoint ministers and the ability to declare war and make peace, are exercised by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, with the formal consent of the King. When a new government is to be formed, the monarch calls the party leaders to a conference of deliberation (known as a "kongerunde", meaning "king's round"), where the latter advise the monarch. On the basis of the advice, the monarch then appoints the party leader who commands a majority of recommendation to lead negotiations for forming a new government. [6]

According to the principles of constitutional monarchy, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial today, restricted in his or her exercise of power by the convention of parliamentary democracy and the separation of powers. However, the monarch does continue to exercise three rights: the right to be consulted; the right to advise; and the right to warn. Pursuant to these ideals, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet attend the regular meeting of the Council of State. [8]

Political parties

Denmark has a multi-party system. Ten parties are represented in parliament, while an additional three were qualified to contest the most recent 2019 general election but did not win any seats. The four oldest, and in history most influential, parties are the Conservative People's Party, the Social Democrats, Venstre (the name literally means "Left", but it is a right-wing liberal-conservative party) and the Social Liberal Party. However, demographics have been in favour of newer parties (such as the national conservative far-right Danish People's Party and the far-left Red-Green Alliance).

No two parties have exactly the same organization. It is however common for a party to have an annual convention which approves manifestos and elects party chairmen, a board of leaders, an assembly of representatives, and a number of local branches with their own organization. In most cases the party members in parliament form their own group with autonomy to develop and promote party politics in parliament and between elections. Parties also have youth wings to promote engagement with the party among young people, such as Social Democratic Youth, Young Liberals, and Radikal Ungdom.

Political blocs

Though coined in 1994 by then leader of Venstre Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, the terms red bloc and blue bloc first became mainstream around the 2011 Danish general election. [9] Left-wing parties are described as belonging to the red bloc while right-wing parties belong to the blue bloc. The Social Democrats and Venstre have historically served as the de facto leaders of the red and blue bloc respectively, though in 2022 leader of the blue bloc party Conservative People's Party Søren Pape Poulsen declared his prime minister candidacy alongside leader of Venstre Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. [10]

The Moderates, founded in 2021 by former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, rebuke bloc politics and support a government with parties from both traditional blocs, and use the color purple to represent this. [11] Similarly, The Alternative have refused their designation as a red party declaring they are a green party. [12]

Executive

The government performs the executive functions of the kingdom. The affairs of government are decided by the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet and the Prime Minister are responsible for their actions to the Folketing (the parliament).

Members of the Cabinet are given the title of "minister" and each hold a different portfolio of government duties. The day to day role of the cabinet members is to serve as head of one or more segments of the national bureaucracy, as head of the civil servants to which all employees in that department report.

Head of government

Enjoying the status of primus inter pares , the Prime Minister is head of the Danish government (as taken to mean the Cabinet). The Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Crown on basis of the party composition in the Folketing. No vote of confidence is necessary to install a new government after an election. If the Folketing expresses its lack of confidence in the Prime Minister, the entire cabinet must step down, unless a new parliamentary election is called in which case the old government continues as a caretaker government until a new government can be formed.

Since the 1990s, most governments have been coalition governments led by either Venstre or the Social Democrats. Until 2001, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (S) led a coalition with the Social Liberals, supported by the SPP and the Red-Green Alliance. A coalition of Venstre and the Conservatives, supported by the DPP, was then in power from 2001 to 2011, led first by Anders Fogh Rasmussen (V) and then from 2009 by Lars Løkke Rasmussen (V). The Liberal Alliance formed in 2007. After the 2011 election, Løkke was replaced by Helle Thorning-Schmidt (S), whose government consisted of the Social Democrats, the Social Liberals, and the SPP. The SPP left the government again in 2014, following heavy internal disagreement over the planned sale of state-owned shares in the company DONG (now known as Ørsted). The Social Democrats and Social Liberals continued in power, with SPP and Red-Green support, until the 2015 election when Løkke returned to power in a single-party Venstre government. The Løkke II Cabinet held only 34 seats in the Folketing, making it the narrowest since Poul Hartling's (V) 22-seat government in the 1970s, and the first single-party government since Anker Jørgensen's (S) fifth government in the early 1980s. After finding it difficult to govern with such a small government, Løkke invited the Conservatives and the Liberal Alliance to join his government in 2016, turning it into the Løkke III Cabinet. [13]

Following the 2019 general election the Social Democrats, led by leader Mette Frederiksen, formed a single-party government with support from the left-wing coalition. [14] Frederiksen became prime minister on 27 June 2019. [15]

In November 2022 general election, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats remained as the biggest party with two more seats, gaining its best result in two decades. [16] The second biggest was Liberal Party (Venstre), led by Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. The recently formed Moderates party, led by two-time former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, became the third-biggest party in Denmark. [17] In December 2022, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen formed a new coalition government with her Social Democrats and the Liberal Party and the Moderates party. Jakob Ellemann-Jensen became deputy prime minister and defence minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was appointed foreign minister. [18]

Cabinet government

The first cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt (2011-2014). Helle Thorning-Schmidt government.jpg
The first cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt (2011–2014).

According to section 14 of the constitution, the king sets the number of ministers and the distribution of cases between them. The monarch formally appoints and dismisses ministers, including the Prime Minister. [19] That means that the number of cabinet positions and the organisation of the state administration into ministries are not set by law, but subject to change without notice. A coalition of many parties usually means a large cabinet and many ministries, while a small coalition or the rare one-party-government means fewer, larger ministries.

In June 2015 in the wake of the parliamentary election, the cabinet had 17 members including the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister leads the work of the Cabinet and is minister for constitutional affairs, overseas territories and for the affairs of the press. The seventeen cabinet ministers hold different portfolios of duties, including the day-to-day role as head of one or more segments of the government departments.

Government departments

As Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen heads the Department of State and the Cabinet. Mette Frederiksen, 2017-06-16.jpg
As Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen heads the Department of State and the Cabinet.

The Danish executive consists of a number of government departments known as Ministries. These departments are led by a cabinet member and known as Minister for the relevant department or portfolio. In theory all Ministers are equal and may not command or be commanded by a fellow minister. Constitutional practice does however dictate, that the Prime Minister is primus inter pares , first among equals. Unlike many other countries, Denmark has no tradition of employing junior Ministers.

A department acts as the secretariat to the Minister. Its functions comprises overall planning, development and strategic guidance on the entire area of responsibility of the Minister. The Minister's decisions are carried out by the permanent and politically neutral civil service within the department. Unlike some democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. The head of the department civil servants is the Permanent Secretary. In fact, the majority of civil servants work in executive agencies that are separate operational organizations reporting to the Minister. The Minister also has his own private secretary and communications personnel. Unlike normal civil servants, the communications staff is partisan and do not remain in their posts upon changes of government.

List of ministers

PortfolioMinisterTookofficeLeftofficePartyRef
Prime Minister 27 June 2019Incumbent  Social Democrats [20] [21]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence 23 October 2023Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for Foreign Affairs 15 December 2022Incumbent  Moderates [20]
Minister for Finance 27 June 2019Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Economy 23 November 2023Incumbent  Venstre [20] [22]
Minister for the Interior and Health 15 December 2022Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for Justice 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Culture 15 December 2022Incumbent  Moderates [20]
Minister for Business 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for the Environment 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Social Affairs and Housing 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Employment 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Children and Education 15 December 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Immigration and Integration 2 May 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Taxation 4 February 2022Incumbent  Social Democrats [20]
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fishery 15 December 2022Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for Church, Minister for Rural Areas, and Minister for Nordic Cooperation 15 December 2022Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for Transport 15 December 2022Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for Higher Education and Science 15 December 2022Incumbent  Moderates [20]
Minister for Digitalization and Equality 15 December 2022Incumbent  Venstre [20]
Minister for the Elderly 15 December 2022Incumbent  Moderates [20]
Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities 15 December 2022Incumbent  Moderates [20]


Tradition of minority governments

As known in other parliamentary systems of government, the executive (the Cabinet) is accountable to the parliament (the Folketing). Under the Danish constitution, no government may remain in office with a majority against it. This is called negative parliamentarianism, as opposed to the principle of positive parliamentarianism—as in Germany and some other parliamentary systems—a government needs to achieve a majority through a vote of investiture in parliament.[ citation needed ] It is due to the principle of negative parliamentarianism and its proportional representation system that Denmark has a long tradition of minority governments. Nevertheless, minority governments in Denmark sometimes have strong parliamentary majorities with the help of one or more supporting parties. [2]

The current government of the Social Democrats is stable due to their support by the Social Liberal Party, Socialist People's Party, and the Red–Green Alliance and informally supported by The Alternative. The previous government coalition between Venstre (the Left), the Liberal Alliance, and the Conservatives had support from the Danish People's Party despite not being an official member of the government. [24] This system enables minority parties to govern on specific issues through an ad hoc basis, selecting partners for support based on common interests instead of legislative need. As a result, Danish laws are born of extensive negotiations and compromise. It is common practice for both sides of the Danish political spectrum to cooperate in the Folketing.

Legislature

The Folketing chamber inside Christiansborg Palace. Ft-oct-2009-1.jpg
The Folketing chamber inside Christiansborg Palace.

The Folketing performs the legislative functions of the Kingdom. As a parliament, it is at the centre of the political system in Denmark, and is the supreme legislative body, operating within the confines of the constitution. The Prime Minister is drawn from parliament through the application of the Danish parliamentary principle (a majority must not exist in opposition to the government), and this process is also generally the case for the government also. The government is answerable to parliament through the principle of parliamentary control (question hour, general debates and the passing of resolutions or motions). Ministers can be questioned by members of Parliament regarding specific government policy matters.

General debates on broader issues of government policy may also be held in parliament and may also be followed by a motion of "no-confidence". The opposition rarely requests motions of no-confidence, as the government is usually certain of its majority; however, government policy is often discussed in the plenary assembly of Parliament. Since 1953, the year that marked the reform of the Danish constitution, parliament has been unicameral.

History

With the implementation of the first democratic constitution in 1849, Denmark's legislature was constituted as a bicameral parliament, or Rigsdag , composed of Folketinget (a lower house of commoners) and Landstinget (an upper house containing lords, landowners and industrialists). [25] In 1901, parliamentarism was introduced to the Danish Parliament, which made Folketinget the essential chamber, as no sitting government could have a majority against it in Folketinget. With the constitutional reform of 1953 the Landstinget was abolished, leaving only Folketinget.

1943 dissolution of government

During the occupation of Denmark during the Second World War, on 29 August 1943, the German authorities dissolved the Danish government following the refusal of that government to crack down on unrest to the satisfaction of the German plenipotentiary. The cabinet resigned in 1943 and suspended operations (although the resignation was never accepted by King Christian X). [26] —all day-to-day business had been handed over to the Permanent Secretaries, each effectively running his own ministry. The Germans administered the rest of the country, and the Danish Rigsdag did not convene for the remainder of the occupation [27] until a new one was formed following the liberation on 5 May 1945.

Composition

The Folketing is composed of 179 seats, of which two are reserved for the Faroe Islands and two for Greenland. The remaining 175 seats are taken up by MPs from elected in Denmark. All 179 seats are contested in elections held at least every four years and in the present parliament, all seats are taken up by members belonging to a political party.

All parties receiving more than 2% of the votes are represented in parliament. Comparatively, this is quite low; in Sweden the minimum level of support necessary for getting into parliament is 4%. Often, this has led to the representation of many parties in parliament, and correspondingly complex or unstable government majorities. However, during the last decade the political system has been one of stable majorities and rather long government tenures. Independent politicians running for parliament need about 15,000-20,000 votes in the electoral district they ran in. Since the 1953 constitution of Denmark, only one independent, Jacob Haugaard, has been successful in doing this. Only two politicians have done this in the history of the Danish parliament.

Proportional representation and elections

Denmark uses a system of proportional representation for both national, local, and European Parliament elections. The parliament Folketinget uses a system with constituencies, and a system of allotment is indirectly prescribed in the constitution, ensuring a geographically and politically balanced distribution of the 179 seats. 135 members are proportionally elected in multi-member constituencies, while the remaining 40 seats are allotted nationwide in proportion to the total number of votes a party or list receives. The Faroe Islands and Greenland elect two members each.

Parties must pass a threshold of 2% of the total vote to be guaranteed parliamentary representation. As a consequence of the system, the number of votes required to be elected to parliament varies across the country; it generally requires fewer votes to be elected in the capital, Copenhagen, than it does being elected in less populous areas. Voter turnout in general elections normally lies above 85%, but has been decreasing over time. Turnout is lower in local elections, and lower than that in European Parliament elections.

2019 election

Overall the election was a win for the "red bloc" – the parties that supported Mette Frederiksen, leader of the Social Democrats, as Prime Minister. In total, the Social Democrats, the Social Liberals, Socialist People's Party and the Red–Green Alliance won 91 seats. Green party The Alternative chose to go into opposition as a "green bloc". [28]

The Social Democrats defended their position as the largest party, and won an additional seat despite a slightly reduced voter share. They were closely followed by Venstre, who saw the largest gains in seats, picking up an extra nine. In the "blue bloc", only Venstre and the Conservative People's Party saw gains, the latter doubling their seats. The Danish People's Party's vote share fell by 12.4 percentage points (pp), well over half of their support. Leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl speculated that the bad result was due to an extraordinary good election in 2015, and that some voters felt they could "gain [their] policy elsewhere". [29] The Liberal Alliance saw their vote share fall by over two-thirds and became the smallest party in the Folketing, only 0.3pp above the 2% election threshold. Their leader Anders Samuelsen was not reelected and he subsequently resigned as leader, succeeded by Alex Vanopslagh. [30] [31]

Of the new parties, only New Right won seats, with Hard Line, the Christian Democrats and Klaus Riskær Pedersen failing to cross the national 2% threshold, although the Christian Democrats were within 200 votes of winning a direct seat in the western Jutland constituency. [32] On election night, Klaus Riskær Pedersen announced that he would dissolve his party. [33]

In the Faroe Islands, Republic (which had finished first in the 2015 elections) [34] dropped to fourth place and lost their seat. The Union Party replaced them as the first party while the Social Democratic Party finished in second place again, retaining their seat. [35] In Greenland, the result was a repeat of the 2015 elections, with Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut winning the two seats. Siumut regained parliamentary representation after their previous MP, Aleqa Hammond, was expelled from the party in 2016. [36] [37] Hammond later joined Nunatta Qitornai, [38] which finished fourth and failed to win a seat. [37] [39]

Popular vote in Denmark
A
25.9%
V
23.4%
O
8.7%
B
8.6%
F
7.7%
Ø
6.9%
C
6.6%
Å
3.0%
D
2.4%
I
2.3%
P
1.8%
K
1.7%
E
0.8%
Others
0.1%
Largest party in each nomination district. Wahlkarte Folketing Danemark 2019 da.svg
Largest party in each nomination district.
2019 Danish general election Result.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Denmark proper
Social Democrats 914,88225.9048+1
Venstre 826,16123.3943+9
Danish People's Party 308,5138.7416–21
Danish Social Liberal Party 304,7148.6316+8
Socialist People's Party 272,3047.7114+7
Red–Green Alliance 245,1006.9413–1
Conservative People's Party 233,8656.6212+6
The Alternative 104,2782.955–4
New Right 83,2012.364New
Liberal Alliance 82,2702.334–9
Stram Kurs 63,1141.790New
Christian Democrats 60,9441.7300
Klaus Riskær Pedersen 29,6000.840New
Independents2,7740.0800
Total3,531,720100.001750
Valid votes3,531,72098.94
Invalid votes10,0190.28
Blank votes27,7820.78
Total votes3,569,521100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,219,53784.60
Faroe Islands
Union Party 7,36028.321+1
Social Democratic Party 6,64025.5510
People's Party 6,18123.7900
Republic 4,83218.600–1
Progress 6382.4600
Self-Government 3341.2900
Total25,985100.0020
Valid votes25,98599.16
Invalid/blank votes2200.84
Total votes26,205100.00
Registered voters/turnout37,26470.32
Greenland
Inuit Ataqatigiit 6,86734.3510
Siumut 6,06330.3310
Democrats 2,25811.3000
Nunatta Qitornai 1,6228.110New
Partii Naleraq 1,5647.8200
Atassut 1,0985.4900
Cooperation Party 5182.590New
Total19,990100.0020
Valid votes19,99097.16
Invalid/blank votes5852.84
Total votes20,575100.00
Registered voters/turnout41,34449.77
Source: Statistics Denmark, Kringvarp Føroya, Qinersineq

By constituency

Constituency A B C D E F I K O P V Ø Å
Copenhagen 17.216.45.31.41.011.52.60.74.21.315.016.86.5
Greater Copenhagen 25.810.99.42.30.89.42.60.98.21.917.27.23.1
North Zealand 21.311.211.23.31.06.93.31.17.51.523.45.62.7
Bornholm 34.03.31.81.70.94.31.04.110.41.925.38.13.3
Zealand 28.25.85.82.61.08.81.80.810.92.724.35.22.0
Funen 30.27.36.21.90.86.71.91.18.91.923.46.83.0
South Jutland 26.15.95.14.10.75.22.12.212.51.828.54.11.6
East Jutland 25.89.95.72.00.78.22.92.17.81.522.67.13.4
West Jutland 24.65.39.21.70.66.22.25.38.41.629.83.41.7
North Jutland 33.95.14.92.00.85.41.91.69.51.726.84.32.0

Seat distribution

The following is the number of constituency seats for each party with each asterix (*) indicating one of the seats won was a levelling seat. [40]

Constituency A B C D F I O V Ø Å Total
Copenhagen 3313*1*1*34*120
Greater Copenhagen 42*1113*11*14
North Zealand 32*2*1*1131*14
Bornholm 112
Zealand 8*2*2*1*3*3*7*2*1*29
Funen 5*1112*4*115
South Jutland 6111*11*361*21
East Jutland 7*3*11*21*2*6*11*25
West Jutland 412*11*151*16
North Jutland 7*1112*51*1*19
Total48161241441643135175
2022 election

Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) was the biggest party with 50 Denmark seats, gaining two more seats. Liberal Party (Venstre) was the second with 23 Denmark seats, losing 20 seats. The third was the biggest winner, recently founded Moderates (Moderaterne) with 16 Denmark seats. Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti) secured 15 seats. In 2022 founded anti-immigration, far-right Denmark Democrats (Danmarksdemokraterne) and Liberal Alliance secured both 14 seats. [41]

Judicial system

Denmark has an independent and highly professional judiciary. [42] Unlike the vast majority of civil servants, Danish judges are appointed directly by the Monarch. [43] However, since the constitution ensures the independence of the judiciary from Government and Parliament in providing that judges shall only take into account the laws of the country (i.e., acts, statutes and practices), [44] the procedure on appointments is only a formality.

Until 1999 appointment of judges was the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, which was also charged with the overall administration of the justice system. On accusations of nepotism and in-group bias, the Ministry in 1999 set up two autonomous boards: the Judicial Appointments Council and the Danish Courts Administration, responsible for court appointments and administration, respectively. [45] [46]

Ombudsmanden

The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman, Jørgen Steen Sørensen, [47] is a lawyer who is elected by parliament to act as a watchdog over the government by inspecting institutions under government control, focusing primarily on the protection of citizens' rights. [48] The Ombudsman frequently inspects places where citizens are deprived of their personal freedom, including prisons and psychiatric hospitals. [47] While the Ombudsman has no power to personally act against the government, he or she can ask the courts to take up cases where the government might be violating Danish law.

The Ombudsman can criticize the government after an inspection and bring matters to public attention, and the government can choose to act upon or ignore his/her criticism, with whatever costs it might have towards the voters and the parliament.

Domestic and foreign relations

The unity of the Realm

Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands used to be dependencies of Denmark. The Danish–Icelandic Act of Union (1918) changed the status of Iceland into that of a kingdom in personal union with Denmark. Iceland remained subordinate to Denmark until independence in 1944 amidst World War II. In the nineteenth century Greenland and the Faroe Islands were given the status of counties, and their own legislatures were disbanded, becoming integral parts of a unitary state. [49] They later gained home rule; the Faroe Islands in 1948 and Greenland in 1979. [49]

Today Greenland and the Faroe Islands are effectively self-governing in regards to domestic affairs, [49] with their own legislatures and executives. However, the devolved legislatures are subordinate to the Folketing where the two territories are represented by two seats each. This state of affairs is referred to as the rigsfælleskab. In 2009 Greenland received greater autonomy in the form of "self-rule".

Foreign policy

Former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen hold a joint press conference outside Marienborg, July 2005. President George W. Bush and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen hold a joint press conference.jpg
Former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen hold a joint press conference outside Marienborg, July 2005.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen hold a joint press conference, April 2010. Dmitry Medvedev in Denmark 28 April 2010-8.jpeg
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and former Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen hold a joint press conference, April 2010.

The foreign policy of Denmark is based on its identity as a sovereign nation in Europe. As such its primary foreign policy focus is on its relations with other nations as a sovereign independent nation. Denmark has long had good relations with other nations. It has been involved in coordinating Western assistance to the Baltic states (Estonia, [50] Latvia, and Lithuania). [51] The country is a strong supporter of international peacekeeping. Danish forces were heavily engaged in the former Yugoslavia in the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), with IFOR, [52] and now SFOR. [53] Denmark also strongly supported American operations in Afghanistan and has contributed both monetarily and materially to the ISAF. [54] These initiatives are a part of the "active foreign policy" of Denmark. Instead of the traditional adaptative foreign policy of the small country, Denmark is today pursuing an active foreign policy, where human rights, democracy and other crucial values is to be defended actively. In recent years, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been guaranteed a say in foreign policy issues, such as fishing, whaling and geopolitical concerns.

Following World War II, Denmark ended its two-hundred-year-long policy of neutrality. Denmark has been a member of NATO since its founding in 1949, and membership in NATO remains highly popular. [55] There were several serious confrontations between the U.S. and Denmark on security policy in the so-called "footnote era" (1982–88), when an alternative parliamentary majority forced the government to adopt specific national positions on nuclear and arms control issues. The alternative majority in these issues was because the Social liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) supported the governing majority in economic policy issues, but was against certain NATO policies and voted with the left in these issues. The conservative led Centre-right government accepted this variety of "minority parliamentarism", that is, without making it a question of the government's parliamentary survival. [55] With the end of the Cold War, however, Denmark has been supportive of U.S. policy objectives in the Alliance.

Danes have enjoyed a reputation as "reluctant" Europeans. When they rejected ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on 2 June 1992, they put the EC's plans for the European Union on hold. [56] In December 1992, the rest of the EC agreed to exempt Denmark from certain aspects of the European Union, including a common defense, a common currency, EU citizenship, and certain aspects of legal cooperation. The Amsterdam Treaty was approved in the referendum of 28 May 1998. In the autumn of 2000, Danish citizens rejected membership of the Euro currency group in a referendum. The Lisbon treaty was ratified by the Danish parliament alone. [57] It was not considered a surrendering of national sovereignty, which would have implied the holding of a referendum according to article 20 of the constitution. [58]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Not an MP when appointed. [23]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Denmark</span> Head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venstre (Denmark)</span> Danish political party

Venstre, full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti, is a conservative-liberal, agrarian political party in Denmark. Founded as part of a peasants' movement against the landed aristocracy, today it espouses an economically liberal, pro-free-market ideology.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folketing</span> Parliament of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Denmark</span>

There are three types of elections in Denmark: elections to the national parliament, local elections, and elections to the European Parliament. Referendums may also be called to consult the Danish citizenry directly on an issue of national concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Danish general election</span>

General elections were held in Denmark on 8 February 2005. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre remained the largest party in the Folketing and his governing coalition with the Conservative People's Party remained intact, with the Danish People's Party providing the parliamentary support needed for the minority government. The Danish Social Liberal Party made the biggest gains of any party, although it remained outside the governing group of parties. The elections marked the second time in a row that the Social Democrats were not the largest party in parliament, a change from most of the 20th century. The Social Democrats lost five seats and leader Mogens Lykketoft resigned immediately after the elections. Voter turnout was 85% in Denmark proper, 73% in the Faroe Islands and 59% in Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Denmark</span> Chief executive body of Denmark

The Cabinet of Denmark has been the chief executive body and the government of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland—since 1848. The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister. There are around 25 members of the Cabinet, known as "ministers", all of whom are also heads of specific government ministries. The Cabinet has usually been composed of Ministers from two or more parties forming a coalition government. Still, most of these governments have been minority governments, relying on the support of still other parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Denmark</span> Fundamental law of the Realm of Denmark

The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark, also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution, is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denmark proper, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The first democratic constitution was adopted in 1849, replacing the 1665 absolutist constitution. The current constitution is from 1953. The Constitutional Act has been changed a few times. The wording is general enough to still apply today.

Karen Moustgaard Jespersen is a Danish journalist and former politician representing the party Venstre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Danish general election</span>

General elections were held in Denmark on 15 September 2011 to elect the 179 members of the Folketing. Of those 179, 175 members were elected in Denmark, two in the Faroe Islands and two in Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Løkke Rasmussen</span> Prime Minister of Denmark (2009–2011; 2015–2019)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Ellemann</span> Danish politician (born 1969)

Karen Ellemann Kloch, formerly Karen Ellemann Karabian, is a Danish politician, who serves as the current Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. She was previously a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. She is a former minister, having held the positions of Minister of Fisheries, Equality and Nordic Cooperation, Minister of the Environment and Minister of the Interior and Social Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Danish general election</span>

General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 18 June 2015 to elect the 179 members of the Folketing. 175 members were elected in the Denmark proper, two in the Faroe Islands and two in Greenland. Although the ruling Social Democrats became the largest party in the Folketing and increased their seat count, the opposition Venstre party was able to form a minority government headed by Lars Løkke Rasmussen with the support of the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Danish general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Danish general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederiksen I Cabinet</span> Government of Denmark from 2019 to 2022

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moderates (Denmark)</span> Political party in Denmark

The Moderates is a liberal political party in Denmark founded by former Prime Minister and current Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He announced the name in a foundational speech on 5 June 2021. At the same time, he said that his main scenario was that the party would be formed after the 2021 Danish local elections. The name was, according to Rasmussen, inspired by the fictitious Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg's party Moderaterne in the hit political TV drama Borgen as well as the Swedish Moderate Party, the then–second largest party in the Swedish Riksdag. The Moderates' political position is referred to as centre to centre-right.

Events in the year 2022 in Denmark.

General elections are scheduled to be held in Denmark no later than 31 October 2026, according to § 32 in the constitution, which defines an election cycle as four years. All 179 seats in the Folketing will be up for election, 175 in Denmark proper, two in Greenland and two in the Faroe Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederiksen II Cabinet</span> Government of Denmark since 2022

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.

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