Denmark has so many parties in parliament -- all campaigning for the country's votes on November 1st -- that an article covering all of them at once would be a long read. In this article, we cover 5 of the 13 parties.
Social Democrats
The Social Democrats, led by incumbent Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, form the sitting minority government. They generally govern with the support of smaller parties to the left, though this has potential to change following the election on November 1st.
READ ALSO: Frederiksen wants centre coalition for Denmark’s next government
The party is campaigning on economic security, arguing it is a safe pair of hands to steer the country through inflation and high energy costs. Policies it has already implemented to this end include cash relief for households with increased energy bills, allowing delayed and staggered payment of bills and placing a cap on rent increases.
Although they have been criticised by green parties for not prioritising the climate, the Social Democrats say this is a key area for them and that they want Denmark to do more.
The party has policies in place to increase Danish energy production, notably through wind power, to eliminate any future need for Russian gas. It wants Denmark to lead the European market in green energy and create jobs in the sector.
The Social Democrats are traditionally a party of welfare and want to spend on the public sector and improve social and health services. They have announced a plan to negotiate pay rises for public sector professions which are suffering staff shortages.
Venstre (Liberal) party
The Liberals are the second-largest party in government and their leader is normally the prime minister when the Social Democrats are not in charge. Current leader Jakob Ellemann-Jensen hopes to replace Frederiksen after the election.
The party will be hoping to keep its position as the largest right-of-centre party in parliament after the election, amid challenges from the Conservative and Moderate parties.
The Liberals also want to increase staff numbers in the health service and have announced a plan to offer bonuses to incentivise staff retention. They also want to reduce waiting lists and hire more GPs.
The party wants to cut taxes for “hard working Danes”, suggesting tax cuts for lower income taxpayers. It meanwhile wants to cut benefits for jobseekers and reintroduce a cap on the amount of unemployment benefit (kontanthjælp) an individual can receive.
Socialist People’s Party (SF)
Despite its name, SF’s politics are more social democratic than socialist, and the party is closely aligned with Frederiksen’s government. The party has ambitions of a coalition role should it get the right election result, and Frederiksen has said she would consider this.
A signature issue for SF is childcare and education. The party has long fought for a national standard guaranteeing a minimum staff-to-children ratio in preschools, and also wants to reduce class sizes.
They want more laws protecting nature and the environment and for Denmark to set itself more ambitious climate targets.
Conservatives
Like the Liberals, the Conservatives have designs on the prime minister’s seat, but the chances of this appear to have receded beyond the realms of likelihood, with leader Søren Pape Poulsen falling behind in the polls.
Also similarly to the Liberals, Poulsen wants a government comprised only of conservative parties and has ruled out a centre coalition with Frederiksen.
The Conservatives want to invest in staffing in the health and elderly care sectors, to improve care quality. They want to increase the use of private companies as subcontractors in the health service, broadening choice for users.
In its “2030 plan”, the party says it will cut taxes by 40 billion kroner by the end of the decade. This includes cuts to the top income tax bracket, business tax and inheritance tax. The deduction for working people, beskæftigelsesfradraget, would be raised by the Conservatives.
The party wants more law and order including stricter punishments for certain crimes.
Social Liberals (Radikale Venstre)
A supporter of the current government in parliament, the Social Liberals have nevertheless been critical of Frederiksen and forced her to call an early election. The party has liberal economic policies and progressive social views.
The Social Liberals have placed the environment and climate at the forefront of their election campaign, calling for new laws on biodiversity and sustainable production. They want the CO2 emissions reduction target for 2030 to be raised from 70 percent to 80 percent.
They want 63,000 more people to be working in Denmark by 2030. This can be done by increasing employment amongst young people and allowing more international recruitment, they argue.
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