In the parliamentary elections held on Tuesday in Denmark, the Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the left bloc received the most votes but failed to secure a majority, according to official results after all votes were counted, LETA reports citing AFP.
In the parliament, consisting of 179 deputies, the left bloc received 84 seats, while the right bloc received 77 seats.
The centrist party "Moderates," represented by former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, obtained 14 seats and may once again play a decisive role in forming the new government.
The Social Democrats showed their worst result in over 120 years in this election.
During the election campaign, Frederiksen emphasized that Denmark must continue rearming and help protect Europe from threats posed by Russia, while also acknowledging that relations with the United States would need to be rebuilt.
Denmark's relations with Washington have soured, as U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed a desire to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Until relatively recently, Trump did not rule out the possibility of using military force to achieve this goal; however, in January, he stated that this option was no longer being considered. He also abandoned plans to impose additional tariffs on European countries that expressed strong support for Denmark regarding the situation surrounding Greenland.
Frederiksen's tough stance in the conflict with Trump boosted her ratings, helping to stabilize the government after a previous decline in popularity. Seeking to take advantage of this, Frederiksen announced parliamentary elections. According to Danish law, she had to announce new elections by October 31, marking four years since the previous elections.
Frederiksen tried to present herself as a reliable crisis manager. She currently leads a three-party centrist coalition, but polls indicate that this alliance may not hold after the elections.
During the election campaign, domestic issues primarily dominated, including food and fuel prices, the future of agriculture, clean drinking water, and animal welfare standards on pig farms.
At the same time, the national conservatives sought to garner support by calling for a stricter immigration policy.
