Denmark will hold a parliamentary election on 24 March, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Thursday (26 February), as she seeks to capitalise on a surge in support for her defiant stance against U.S. pressure over Greenland.
Frederiksen has spent recent months rallying European leaders in response to renewed interest from U.S. President Donald Trump in annexing the Arctic island.
Opinion polls suggest the effort has boosted her popularity, despite public dissatisfaction over rising living costs and pressure on the welfare system.
“This will be a decisive election, because it will be in the next four years that we, as Danes and as Europeans, will truly have to stand on our own feet,” Frederiksen said.
“We must define our relationship with the United States, and we must rearm to ensure peace on our continent.”
The Greenland crisis has further raised Frederiksen’s international profile, building on the standing she gained through her swift response to the Covid-19 pandemic and her efforts to secure European support for Ukraine.
The election will test whether voters reward her international leadership and defence of Danish sovereignty, or punish her government for what critics describe as inattention to domestic challenges.
“Trust in Mette Frederiksen as a leader and her ability to navigate the Greenland and Ukraine crises will be central to the campaign,” political commentator Joachim B. Olsen said.
Denmark’s government is an unusual cross-party coalition comprising Frederiksen’s Social Democrats, the centre-right Liberal Party led by Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, and the Moderates, led by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who has twice served as prime minister.
Formed in 2022 as a crisis administration, the coalition is at risk of losing its majority, according to opinion polls, as parties reposition themselves along more traditional left-right lines.
The Social Democrats suffered a significant setback in the 2025 municipal elections, losing the Copenhagen mayoralty for the first time in 87 years.
While the party’s support fell to 17% in December polls, it has since recovered to 22%, with Frederiksen’s approval ratings lifted by her handling of the Greenland dispute. In the 2022 general election, the party won 28% of the vote.
Political scientist Rune Stubager said voters remain concerned about food prices, welfare, inequality and immigration.
The Green Left party, a traditional ally of the Social Democrats that is currently in opposition, has pledged to reinstate the public holiday if elected - a proposal the Social Democrats have not ruled out.
Frederiksen’s party is also expected to highlight its strict immigration policies, a stance that contributed to its 2019 election victory. In January, the government proposed easing deportation rules for foreign nationals, acknowledging a potential clash with European human rights frameworks.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United St...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment