Denmark's next prime minister brushed aside unease at home and abroad yesterday that the big swing to the right in the general election might have left him hostage to the anti-immigrant far right.
The Liberal Party of Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen (48) eclipsed the Social Democrats of the outgoing Prime Minister, Mr Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, in Tuesday's election for the first time since the 1920s.
Mr Nyrup Rasmussen, no relation of his successor, formally handed his resignation to Queen Margrethe yesterday.
The prime minister, whose win dealt a fresh blow to Scandinavia's once-mighty Social Democrats, tried to distance himself from the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP).
"I will endeavour to secure a broad co-operation in parliament," Mr Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference, adding it could take days to form a new government.
The DPP leader, Ms Pia Kjaersgaard, has exploited fears about Muslims since the suicide hijack attacks in the US on September 11th. She has urged far stricter limits on immigration and once said she crossed the street when she met a Muslim.
"It's clear I'm worried. We now see a government which will be forced to prop itself up with anti-foreigner ideas," Sweden's Social Democratic Prime Minister, Mr Goran Persson, said.
Mr Fogh Rasmussen said international concern was based on misunderstandings. "Their analyses are superficial and can lead to dangerous conclusions," he said. But he reiterated his campaign pledge of limiting the number of newcomers to Denmark. "That will give us a breathing space to improve conditions for those already here," he said.
In Copenhagen, immigrants were dismayed. "I often get called names when I go out on the town for a beer and the ugly remarks increased after September 11th," said Mr Wallid Elamrani (24), a student from Jordan who said he might try to move to "a less hostile country".
"I fear things could get worse ... with this new government," said Mr Zarah Ahmed (36), a shopkeeper from Syria.
In Sweden, the daily Dagens Nyheter was blunt. "It is difficult to point to any winner in the Danish election but the losers are easier to identify, they are all those with dark skin, humanism and decency. Goodnight Denmark," it said.
Paradoxically, Denmark's per capita aid to developing countries is the highest in the world. And for the first time, two immigrants won seats in parliament in Tuesday's election. Fewer than 5 per cent of Denmark's 5.3 million inhabitants are foreigners, a lower proportion than in much of Europe.
Danish newspapers hailed the landslide as showing that Danes were fed up after nine years under Mr Nyrup Rasmussen, the EU's longest serving prime minister. "It is clear that a basic desire for change played a role," Politiken said.
The Liberals, their Conservative allies and right-wing supporters won 98 seats in parliament against 77 for Mr Nyrup Rasmussen's bloc. Mr Fogh Rasmussen was expected to form a minority coalition with the Conservatives. But it will depend on informal support from DPP, the third biggest group in parliament.
Mr Fogh Rasmussen has ruled out giving the DPP any seats in his cabinet. In this way he hopes Denmark will not swing as far right as Austria did in the recent past.