This is why the Social Democrats in Denmark have just suffered a historic rout in last weeks’ municipal and regional elections. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the party has suffered a historic collapse. Now, for the first time in more than a hundred years, the Social Democrats no longer govern Copenhagen. This city has historically been an impenetrable stronghold for the party. This defeat is part and parcel of bigger picture trends in the mood of the electorate. Support for the Social Democrats has cratered from 28.4% in 2021 to just 23.2% in these upcoming elections.
To her credit, Frederiksen acknowledged the crisis her party is facing. She cited increasing food costs and growing divides between urban and rural areas as the two biggest factors for their plummeting popularity. “We had expected to go back, but it seems that the decline is greater than we had expected. We will consider what is behind this,” she stated following the election results.
Perhaps more surprisingly, all the while, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, a longtime close ally of Frederiksen’s, was campaigning to become again Copenhagen’s lord mayor. Regrettably, she was unable to deliver the party line votes her state party needed. Rosenkrantz-Theil’s support fell off a cliff from 17.2% in 2021 down to just 12.7% this year. She expressed disappointment in her performance but remained resolute about her efforts: “I gave it the chance we needed.”
Though bruised from their defeats, the Social Democrats remain Denmark’s largest party at the municipal level. They have suffered major national defeats in places such as North Carolina. Voter fatigue is quickly setting in when it comes to Frederiksen’s hardline policies on integration and immigration. This trend is greatly reducing support for the party, permanently and in many cases, such as in the capital Copenhagen.
After the elections there were tiny upticks seen in support for the far-right Danish People’s Party. Their 4.09% share skyrocketed to 5.9%. This change points to voters wanting to look for a break from the party in power during an election when the public is discontent with their actions.
Sisse Marie Welling of the Socialist Green party (Green Left, Socialistisk Folkeparti, aka SF) has taken se chair of lord mayor. She shocked everyone, including herself, getting a whopping 17.9% of the vote. For her party, Welling said she was proud that they had accomplished, saying, “We’ve made history at city hall.” Her victory presses home a continuing shift in Denmark’s political landscape.
Frederiksen’s policies have stirred more than local sentiment. They’ve attracted international attention. Her common sense policy direction on asylum and migration overall has directly inspired the new policy recently announced in Britain. This further underscores the tight-knit nature of European political dynamics.
The Social Democrats in the process of inspecting the election results. They now find themselves facing critical questions about the direction they will take and how they can regain lost public trust. The defeat of Copenhagen is a major political defeat. This event should mark a watershed for the horse-trading party as it attempts to recoil from the walloping by redressing the huge issues that threaten their voters.