Former Danish People’s Party leader quits amid links to new party
Former leader and co-founder of the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, Kristian Thulesen Dahl, has confirmed his resignation from the party.
Dahl, who lead the right-wing party from 2012 until January this year, confirmed his departure in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening in which he described the decision as “painful”.
Speculation that he would quit had been rife after four other high-profile members of parliament quit the party last weekend.
READ ALSO: Danish People’s Party decimated by new high-profile departures
He is also the 11th member of the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti, DF), to leave the party since new leader Morten Messerschmidt was elected as the new leader at a national congress in January.
Departing members have largely cited Messerschmidt’s leadership as a primary reason for their decisions.
DF is now left with just five representatives in parliament, having had 19 elected at the last general election in 2019.
Those numbers are a far cry from the party’s strong showings in the early 2010s, which culminated in a 21 percent vote share and 37 seats at the 2015 general election.
Following last weekend’s departures, Messerschmidt called for Dahl to clarify his position. The ex-leader last week said he would not run for DF in the next general election, set for 2023, but had stopped short of quitting completely.
He wrote on Wednesday that there had been “pressure for me to take the decision on my future now”.
“My belief that things could get better in the party is extinguished so now it’s about moving on,” he also said in comments reported by news wire Ritzau.
Speculation has linked Dahl a new party, Danmarksdemokraterne (“The Denmark Democrats”), launched last week by former Liberal (Venstre) party immigration minister Inger Støjberg.
Støjberg was ejected from parliament late last year following a guilty verdict in a special impeachment court. Having served her sentence for the conviction, she is now bidding to return to parliament with the newly-formed party.
Some of the other DF defectors have already signalled their willingness to join the project, according to reports.
Støjberg on Wednesday said that Dahl would be welcome in her new party, but the former DF member told Ritzau he was yet to consider “whether to be a part of the project”.
“I am pleased that I would be welcome in Inger’s party,” he also said.
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Dahl, who lead the right-wing party from 2012 until January this year, confirmed his departure in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening in which he described the decision as “painful”.
Speculation that he would quit had been rife after four other high-profile members of parliament quit the party last weekend.
READ ALSO: Danish People’s Party decimated by new high-profile departures
He is also the 11th member of the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti, DF), to leave the party since new leader Morten Messerschmidt was elected as the new leader at a national congress in January.
Departing members have largely cited Messerschmidt’s leadership as a primary reason for their decisions.
DF is now left with just five representatives in parliament, having had 19 elected at the last general election in 2019.
Those numbers are a far cry from the party’s strong showings in the early 2010s, which culminated in a 21 percent vote share and 37 seats at the 2015 general election.
Following last weekend’s departures, Messerschmidt called for Dahl to clarify his position. The ex-leader last week said he would not run for DF in the next general election, set for 2023, but had stopped short of quitting completely.
He wrote on Wednesday that there had been “pressure for me to take the decision on my future now”.
“My belief that things could get better in the party is extinguished so now it’s about moving on,” he also said in comments reported by news wire Ritzau.
Speculation has linked Dahl a new party, Danmarksdemokraterne (“The Denmark Democrats”), launched last week by former Liberal (Venstre) party immigration minister Inger Støjberg.
Støjberg was ejected from parliament late last year following a guilty verdict in a special impeachment court. Having served her sentence for the conviction, she is now bidding to return to parliament with the newly-formed party.
Some of the other DF defectors have already signalled their willingness to join the project, according to reports.
Støjberg on Wednesday said that Dahl would be welcome in her new party, but the former DF member told Ritzau he was yet to consider “whether to be a part of the project”.
“I am pleased that I would be welcome in Inger’s party,” he also said.
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