Editorials

The Irish Times view on Denmark’s snap election

A defining vote framed by the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine poses important choices for Danish voters

Election campaign posters with various candidates are seen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 31, 2022, on the eve of the general elections on November 1, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)
Election campaign posters with various candidates are seen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 31, 2022, on the eve of the general elections on November 1, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)
Mon Oct 31 2022 - 21:14

Denmark’s snap election being held today could end the intricate coalition choreography beloved by fans of the Danish political drama Borgen. Rather than head another wobbly minority coalition, outgoing Social Democrat prime minister Mette Frederiksen sees a broader, bipartisan alliance as a more stable fit for these serious times.

It’s not a new idea: her liberal predecessor Lars Løkke Rasmussen made a similar proposal in 2019 and now hopes his new Moderates party can be part of a new centrist alliance.

Faced with exploding energy bills, an inflation spike and choppy waters beyond the Baltic Sea, Danish voters are warming to the idea. As in neighbouring Sweden, Denmark’s traditional supply-and-demand political approach to government has a record of creating political consensus and stability. But seeking issue-by-issue majorities can be time-consuming. Now Denmark’s last two prime ministers say quick decisions are more important than the broadest consensus.

If Denmark shifts over to the more traditional European coalition model it still remains an outlier in immigration and asylum policy. Frederiksen has caused surprise and shock in Europe with immigration and asylum policies that, a decade ago, her Social Democratic government would have attacked as far-right populism. Repatriating Syrians to Damascus and offshoring asylum processing to Rwanda are not controversial plots in Borgen, but Danish government policy. They are likely to remain so with any new government, given the policies have majority public support.

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Danish politicians insist they have embraced pragmatic and practical proposals to boost integration and social cohesion -- and put human traffickers out of business. Critics say that Denmark’s political mainstream is engaged in a a populist race to the bottom. In a telling nod, Sweden’s centre-right prime minister Ulf Kristersson came to office last month promising to overhaul migration and asylum laws to make his country more like Denmark. But if Sweden wants to be Denmark, critics ask, who is Denmark trying to be?