Denmark Holds Snap Elections, Social Democrats Lose Seats

Denmark's Social Democrats and their leader, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have suffered a major blow in Europe's latest snap election, losing seats in Parliament.

Frederiksen has recently been hailed as one of Europe's best leaders, with the praise coming after her impressive handling of the situation with Greenland and the United States. Even as America's Donald Trump continued his pursuit of the Danish territory, threatening Denmark with tariffs and military action, the prime minister remained cool and calm. She refused to allow her nation to be blackmailed or bought– actions that were perceived well by the Danish population.

Because of the ensuing rise in support, Frederiksen called for a snap election, which was set to take place on March 24. The Social Democrats, her party, believed that they could leverage the success of the Greenland talks to gain seats in Parliament, setting them up to maintain control of Denmark for the next four years.

Many experts believe it was the right decision, as Danish law required her to call an election before November, when her four-year term would expire.

However, the results are in, and the election did not go as they expected. The Danish Parliament ended up even more fragmented than previous years– neither left-wing nor right-wing nor centrist parties managed to secure a majority, meaning that parties will have to form coalitions across different portions of the political spectrum.

The Social Democrats, who called the election, lost a large number of seats – their worst performance since 1903 – but were able to maintain their position as largest party in Parliament. Because of this, experts believe Frederiksen may be able to secure a third term, as a coalition without her Social Democrats is almost impossible.

She will likely form a coalition with left-wing and centrist parties within the Danish Parliament, focusing more on domestic issues. Voters against Frederiksen cited frustration over rising costs of living, while others expressed their irritation with the lack of clarity on Denmark's latest environmental regulations, like a tax on cow emissions. Frederiksen will hope to address these issues if she manages to secure a coalition, focusing more on domestic issues than international involvement.

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Image credit to AP