Advertisement

Denmark's Rasmussen to form minority govt

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Denmark's Rasmussen to form minority govt
Lars Løkke Rasmussen will go back to the queen on Monday to seek a mandate to form a minority government. Photo: Søren Bidstrup/Scanpix

After weekend negotiations, Lars Løkke Rasmussen has concluded that forming a majority government is "not possible" and will now look at the options for minority rule.

Advertisement

Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the centre-right Venstre party said Sunday he would form a minority government after a vote that brought the Danish right to power.
 
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II asked the prime minister-elect to "explore the possibility of forming a [majority] government with several parties," Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR.
 
"I honestly tried to fulfil that task, but I realised it was not possible" after meetings with several party leaders, he said.
 
 
Rasmussen added that he would hold a second meeting with the monarch on Monday to obtain an official mandate to form a minority government.
 
During the election campaign, other smaller right-wing parties had already announced they would not necessarily join a coalition government with Venstre.
 
Rasmussen's announcement came amid speculation following Thursday's vote over whether the centre-right would form a coalition government with the anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DF).
 
While DF actually won more votes than Vestre, making it the second-biggest party in parliament after the Social Democrats, it has repeatedly said it would not join a coalition unless it could be sure to play an influential role.
 
The two most likely scenarios now, according to Berlingske, are that either Venstre will form a government alone, or it will ask DF to join in.
 
In exchange for joining a coalition, DF has demanded greater restrictions on immigration and raising public spending -- which Venstre wants to bring down.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also