Elections in Denmark

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There are three types of elections in Denmark: elections to the national parliament (the Folketing), local elections and elections to the European Parliament. Referendums may also be called to consult the Danish citizenry directly on an issue of national concern.

Parliamentary elections are called by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, usually four years after the last election, although early elections may occur. Elections to local councils (municipal or regional) and to the European Parliament are held on fixed dates. Elections use the party-list proportional representation system. Only citizens on the national register are eligible to vote in parliamentary elections and long-time residents may vote in local elections.

The last election was the Danish general election held on 18 June 2015.

Parliamentary elections

The Kingdom of Denmark (including the Faroe Islands and Greenland) elects a unicameral parliament, the Folketing, on a national level. Of the 179 members of parliament, the Faroe Islands and Greenland elect two members each, 135 are elected from ten multi-member constituencies on a party list PR system using the d'Hondt method and the remaining 40 seats are allocated to ensure proportionality at a national level. To get a share of supplementary seats a party needs to get at least 2% of the total number of votes.

Denmark has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments and/or minority cabinets.

Elections to the Folketing must be held at least every four years.

Latest election

Danish general election, 2015

For Denmark proper, the "Red" bloc (A+B+F+Ø+Å) won 85 seats and the "Blue" bloc (V+O+I+C+K) 90 seats. Even with all of the extra four seats from Greenland and the Faroe Islands going to the "Red" bloc, it would still be one seat behind the "Blue" bloc.

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Denmark proper
Social Democrats (A) 924,940 26.3 47 +3
Danish People's Party (O) 741,746 21.1 37 +15
Venstre (V) 685,188 19.5 34 –13
Red–Green Alliance (Ø) 274,463 7.8 14 +2
Liberal Alliance (I) 265,129 7.5 13 +4
The Alternative (Å) 168,788 4.8 9 New
Danish Social Liberal Party (B) 161,009 4.6 8 –9
Socialist People's Party (F) 147,578 4.2 7 –9
Conservative People's Party (C) 118,003 3.4 6 –2
Christian Democrats (K) 29,077 0.8 0 0
Independents 3,066 0.1 0 –
Invalid/blank votes 41,073 – – –
Total 3,560,060 100 175 0
Registered voters/turnout 4,145,105 85.9 – –
Faroe Islands
Republic 5,730 24.5 1 +1
Social Democratic Party 5,666 24.3 1 0
Union Party 5,500 23.5 0 –1
People's Party 4,368 18.7 0 0
Progress 749 3.2 0 New
Centre Party 605 2.6 0 0
Self-Government Party 403 1.7 0 0
Independents 345 1.5 0 0
Total 23,366 100 2 0
Registered voters/turnout 65.6 – –
Greenland
Inuit Ataqatigiit 7,904 38.5 1 0
Siumut 7,831 38.2 1 0
Atassut 1,526 7.4 0 0
Democrats 1,753 8.5 0 0
Partii Naleraq 962 4.7 0 New
Invalid/blank votes 538 – – –
Total 20,514 100 2 0
Registered voters/turnout 41,048 50.0 – –
Source: DST, KVF, Qinersineq
Popular vote
A
  
 26.28%
O
  
 21.08%
V
  
 19.47%
Ø
  
 7.80%
I
  
 7.53%
Å
  
 4.80%
B
  
 4.58%
F
  
 4.19%
C
  
 3.35%
K
  
 0.83%
Others
  
 0.09%

Local elections

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Further information: Danish local elections, 2013

The latest elections for the ninety-eight municipal councils and the five regional councils were held on 19 November 2013.

European elections

The Denmark constituency directly elects thirteen members to the European Parliament every five years. The d'Hondt method of proportional representation is used. The last elections took place in May 2014:

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Main article: European Parliament election, 2014 (Denmark)

Referendums

The Constitution of Denmark requires a referendum to be held in the following three cases:

  • if one third of the members of the Parliament demands a referendum on a law that has been passed in the previous 30 days (excluding some ) (Section 42 of the Constitution),[1] or
  • a law that transfers sovereignty to an international organisation has not received a majority of five sixth of the MPs (Section 20 of the Constitution),[1] or
  • in case of changing the electoral age (Section 29 of the Constitution).[1]

The option for one third of the members of the Parliament to put a law to a referendum has a number of restrictions. Finance Bills, Supplementary Appropriation Bills, Provisional Appropriation Bills, Government Loan Bills, Civil Servants (Amendment) Bills, Salaries and Pensions Bills, Naturalization Bills, Expropriation Bills, Taxation (Direct and Indirect) Bills, as well as Bills introduced for the purpose The Work of Parliament of discharging existing treaty obligations shall not be decided by a referendum. (Section 42, Subsection 6 of the Constitution)[1]

Even though the Constitution of Denmark requires referendum to be held only if super-majority of five sixths of members of Parliament cannot be obtained, in practise, referendums have been held every time new treaties of the European Union have been approved, even when more than five sixths can be found. Recently, the Danish government was highly criticized when it did not hold a referendum regarding the controversial Lisbon treaty.

In all three cases, to defeat the proposition the no votes must not only outnumber the yes votes, they must also number at least 30% of the electorate.

The Constitution of Denmark can be changed only after a referendum, after a complicated procedure (Section 88 of the Constitution).[1] First a government proposes a change in constitution, then a parliamentary election is held. After the new parliament approves the same text of the constitutional changes, the proposal is put to a referendum. To pass, the yes votes must not only outnumber the no votes, they must also number at least 40% of the electorate.

As of 2013 there were 16 referendums held in Denmark, most recent being Danish euro referendum in 2000 and Danish Act of Succession referendum in 2009.

Past elections

2011 elections

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Main article: Danish parliamentary election, 2011
e • d Summary of the 15 September 2011 Parliament of Denmark election results[2][3][4][5][6]
Parties Leaders Votes  % Seats ±
Denmark proper
Liberals (Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti) (V) Lars Løkke Rasmussen 947,725 26.7% 47 +1
Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) (A) Helle Thorning-Schmidt 879,615 24.8% 44 −1
Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) (O) Pia Kjærsgaard 436,726 12.3% 22 −3
Danish Social Liberal Party (Det Radikale Venstre) (B) Margrethe Vestager 336,698 9.5% 17 +8
Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) (F) Villy Søvndal 326,192 9.2% 16 −7
Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) (Ø) Collective leadership 236,860 6.7% 12 +8
Liberal Alliance (Liberal Alliance) (I) Anders Samuelsen 176,585 5.0% 9 +4
Conservative People's Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti) (C) Lars Barfoed 175,047 4.9% 8 −10
Christian Democrats (Kristendemokraterne) (K) Per Ørum Jørgensen 28,070 0.8% 0 ±0
Candidates without parties 1,850 0.1% 0 ±0
Red Alliance (A, B, F, Ø) Helle Thorning-Schmidt 1,779,365 50.2% 89 +8
Blue Alliance (C, I, K, O, V) Lars Løkke Rasmussen 1,764,153 49.8% 86 −8
Invalid votes 34,307
Subtotal (Turnout: 87.7% – electorate: 4,079,910) 3,545,368 100.0% 175
Faroe Islands
Union Party (Sambandsflokkurin) (B) Kaj Leo Johannesen 6,361 30.8% 1 ±0
Social Democratic Party (Javnaðarflokkurin) (C) Aksel Johannesen 4,328 21.0% 1 +1
Republic (Tjóðveldi) (E) Høgni Hoydal 3,998 19.4% 0 −1
People's Party (Fólkaflokkurin) (A) Jørgen Niclasen 3,932 19.0% 0 ±0
Centre Party (Miðflokkurin) (H) Jenis av Rana 872 4.2% 0 ±0
Self-Government Party (Sjálvstýrisflokkurin) (D) Kári á Rógvu 481 2.3% 0 ±0
Candidates without parties 672 3.3% 0 ±0
Invalid votes 301
Subtotal (Turnout: 58.9% – electorate: 35,044) 20,644 100.0% 2
Greenland
Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) Kuupik Kleist 9,780 42.7% 1 ±0
Forward (Siumut) Aleqa Hammond 8,499 37.1% 1 ±0
Democrats (Demokraatit) Jens B. Frederiksen 2,882 12.6% 0 ±0
Feeling of Community (Atassut) Finn Karlsen 1,728 7.5% 0 ±0
Candidates without parties 24 0.1% 0 ±0
Invalid votes 612
Subtotal (Turnout: 57.4% – electorate: 40,935) 22,913 100.0% 2
Overall
Red Alliance (A, B, F, Ø, Siumut, Inuit Ataqatigiit, Javnaðarflokkurin) Helle Thorning-Schmidt 1,801,972 50.2% 92
Blue Alliance (V, O, I, C, K, Union Party) Lars Løkke Rasmussen 1,770,514 49.3% 87
Total (Turnout: 87.2% – electorate: 4,156,735) 3,588,919 100.0% 179

All turnout figures include invalid votes, subtotals and totals exclude invalid votes

2007 elections

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Main article: Danish parliamentary election, 2007
Party Leader Votes % Seats +/–
Denmark
Venstre Anders Fogh Rasmussen 908,472 26.2 46 –6
Social Democrats Helle Thorning-Schmidt 881,037 25.5 45 –2
Danish People's Party Pia Kjærsgaard 479,532 13.9 25 +1
Socialist People's Party Villy Søvndal 450,975 13.0 23 +12
Conservative People's Party Bendt Bendtsen 359,404 10.4 18 ±0
Danish Social Liberal Party Margrethe Vestager 177,161 5.1 9 –8
New Alliance Naser Khader 97,295 2.8 5 New
Red-Green Alliance Collective leadership 74,982 2.2 4 –2
Christian Democrats Bodil Kornbek 30,013 0.9 0 ±0
Independents 549 0.0 0 ±0
Invalid/blank votes 24,113 – – –
Total 3,483,533 100 175 0
Faroe Islands
Republic Høgni Hoydal 5,849 25.4 1 ±0
Union Party Kaj Leo Johannesen 5,414 23.5 1 +1
People's Party Jørgen Niclasen 4,728 20.5 0 –1
Social Democratic Party Jóannes Eidesgaard 4,702 20.4 0 ±0
Centre Party Álvur Kirke 1,573 6.8 0 ±0
Self-Government Party Kári P. Højgaard 799 3.5 0 0
Invalid/blank votes 149 – – –
Total 23,214 100 2 0
Greenland
Inuit Ataqatigiit Josef Motzfeldt 8,068 32.5 1 ±0
Forward Hans Enoksen 8,068 32.5 1 ±0
Democrats Per Berthelsen 4,584 18.5 0 ±0
Feeling of Community Finn Karlsen 4,094 16.5 0 ±0
Invalid/blank votes 500 – – –
Total 25,589 100 2 0
Source: Nohen & Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook
Party Votes  % of votes MPs swing  % of MPs MPs %/votes %
Total 100 179 Steady0 100 1.00
3 biggest 65.6 116 Decrease7 64.8 0.99
The cabinet 50.5 90 Decrease5 50.3 0.98
The opposition 49.5 89 Increase5 49.7 1.02
Popular vote
V
  
 26.26%
A
  
 25.47%
O
  
 13.86%
F
  
 13.04%
C
  
 10.39%
B
  
 5.12%
I
  
 2.81%
Ø
  
 2.17%
K
  
 0.87%
Others
  
 0.02%

See also

References

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External links

it:Politica della Danimarca

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