Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has announced Denmark will hold an election in March, hoping to leverage off her strong rejection of Donald Trump and his threat to annex Greenland.
Frederiksen’s popularity has been bolstered in recent months by her firm stance against Trump, especially as his rhetoric around Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, becomes increasingly aggressive.
The national election will be held on March 24. Voters will either endorse Frederiksen’s leadership, or look for a new approach in the face of changing global landscape.
Speaking before parliament on Thursday local time, Frederiksen said it would be a “decisive” election for Denmark.
“Dear Danes, today I have asked his majesty the king to call an election for the Folketing,” she said. “Whether I will continue to be your prime minister depends on how strong a mandate you give the Social Democrats.”
“This will be a decisive election because it will be in the next four years that we as Danes and as Europeans will really have to stand on our own feet,” she said.
“We must define our relationship with the United States, and we must rearm to ensure peace on our continent.”
Currently, Denmark’s government is made up of a multi-party coalition, including Fredriksen’s Social Democrats, the centre-right Liberal Party and the Moderates.
Just months ago, Fredriksen took a firm stance against the US government, as Trump reiterated his views on annexing Greenland in the wake of his takeover of Venezuela and capture of its president.
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland,” Danish Frederiksen responded at the time. “The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”
“I would therefore strongly urge the US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
The Danish election will be watched closely across Europe, especially in Ukraine. Frederiksen’s government is considered one of the strongest supporters of the war-torn country.
Frederiksen is considered to be part of the centre-left and has led the country since 2019. When she was re-elected in 2022, Denmark achieved a record number of women in its parliament, with 44 per cent of elected lawmakers now women.
In more recent years, she has taken a tougher stance on immigration issues, even joining right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in calling for new EU rules to address what they called “migration challenges”.