Denmark braces for lengthy and challenging coalition talks

Denmark is preparing for long and difficult coalition talks after neither Mette Frederiksen’s left bloc nor right-wing parties won a majority in Tuesday’s elections.

After a painful night for the Social Democratic party, which suffered its worst general election since 1903 despite being the largest party in the Danish parliament, the prime minister traveled to Amalienborg palace on Wednesday morning to tender his government’s resignation to the king.

Later in the day, the parties, in order of size, starting with the social democrats, will come to the palace to tell the king whose role as “royal inspector” they think will be to try to form a government.

Speaking at a debate attended by 12 party leaders in Copenhagen on Wednesday, Frederiksen said voters had given leaders a “troubled” party situation but said a “government must be formed”.

He added: “The world is not there waiting for us and the atmosphere has become even more uneasy now that the election has been called.”

Frederiksen said he would begin exploring the possibility of forming a left-leaning government with the support of Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s centre-right Moderates. But first, he said, the parties must appoint a crown investigator.

The failure of the left-leaning “red bloc” and the right-leaning “blue bloc”, which won 84 seats and 77 seats respectively, to win a majority in the 179-seat parliament, put the 14-seat Moderates in a potentially strong position to play an important role in forming a new coalition, and put Rasmussen, a committed centrist, in the decisive position.

In his election night speech, he called on Frederiksen and Troels Lund Poulsen, leader of the liberal Venstre party, with which he has been in coalition for more than three years, to “come down from the trees and join him in the centre”.

“What is clear is that, with all conceivable reservations, there is no red majority on our left, and no black-and-blue majority on our right,” he said to cheers.

Rasmussen, who is often seen smoking a pipe, was defense minister in the last government and served as prime minister twice. Before this election he had said that he did not want to be prime minister but wanted to be appointed royal inspector; but this task is usually held by the person who continues to lead the government.

Addressing his party at the Social Democrats party in Christiansborg in the early hours of the morning, Frederiksen said the results were not as good as he had hoped, but were “good”.

“We take responsibility, even if it comes at a cost. I am still ready to take on the mantle as prime minister of Denmark. There are no signs that this will be easy,” he said.

Poulsen said he was still running for prime minister and ruled out forming a coalition with the Social Democrats. He told his supporters: “We need a new government. And that’s why I’m also happy that Venstre has become the biggest blue party.”

Party leaders were due to debate each other on Wednesday morning at an event organized by the Danish Broadcasting Club.

Coalition negotiations are expected to last weeks.

The royal palace issued a statement saying that the king had received the prime minister and that representatives of political parties would be asked to meet at the palace from 13:00 Danish time.

“After announcing the election results and the state of parliament, the Prime Minister tendered the resignation of the government and advised Folketing that representatives of the elected political parties should now be given the opportunity to speak about the upcoming government formation,” the statement said.