News

Denmark’s PM resigns after failing to secure majority in general election

Mette Frederiksen could return for a third term as prime minister after tough coalition talks.

Save

The leader of the Social Democrats, Mette Frederiksen, submitted ​her government’s resignation after the parliamentary election in Denmark [AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters

Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026

Danish ⁠Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has ⁠submitted her government’s resignation ⁠to the king after her three-party coalition suffered a ‌large defeat in a general election, the royal palace said in ⁠a statement.

Parties are set ⁠to launch potentially tough and ⁠long negotiations on Wednesday to determine ⁠whether ⁠the next government will be formed by Frederiksen ‌or another party leader.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Party had ⁠its worst election since 1903 on Tuesday, winning just 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament – down from 50 four years ago – amid voter concerns over immigration, a cost-of-living crisis and welfare.

Her left-wing bloc won 84 seats in parliament, versus 77 for the right-leaning parties, with both sides falling short of the 90 needed for a majority.

That leaves both sides dependent on ⁠the 14 seats won by the unaligned Moderates Party of Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a centrist group that could emerge ⁠as kingmakers in coalition talks.

The Social Democrats remains Denmark’s biggest party, however, with 21.9 percent support, meaning Frederiksen could return for a third term as prime minister following coalition talks.

Domestic policy issues overshadowed the support for Frederiksen’s defiant stance towards United States President Donald Trump’s ‌repeated ambitions to acquire Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory, Greenland.

Frederiksen warned in January that a US takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of NATO.