Danish PM resigns despite election win but hopes to form new govt

Despite finishing first in Denmark's election, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has decided to step down along with her Social Democratic government in an attempt to build a broader coalition across the political divide.

Frederiksen's announcement on Wednesday came after a dramatic vote count in which the centre-left bloc that has backed her since 2019 retained its majority in the parliament by a single seat.

In theory, the 44-year-old Social Democratic leader could have stayed in power as head of a minority government. 

But she said she would stick to promises made before Tuesday's election to try to form a wider governing coalition that includes parties on the centre-right.

"I am happy, proud, and grateful," Frederiksen said. 

"It has been a very difficult few years to be prime minister: first the pandemic, now inflation. A lot indicated that a sitting government would not achieve reelection."

Frederiksen handed her resignation on Wednesday to Queen Margrethe, Denmark's figurehead monarch. 

Frederiksen will remain as prime minister in a caretaking capacity until a new government is formed.

READ MORE: Danish PM's coalition likely to lose majority in parliament: exit poll

Rasmussen no more a kingmaker

Frederiksen called the election last month amid fallout from her government’s contentious decision to cull millions of minks as a pandemic response measure.

The cull and chilling images of mass graves of minks have haunted Frederiksen since 2020 and eventually led to cracks in the centre-left bloc.

On Tuesday, the Social Democrats won 28 percent of the vote, or 50 seats, in the 179-member Danish Parliament. Exit polls and early results had suggested the centre-left parties together would not gather the 90 seats needed for a majority. 

They were one seat short until the very end of the ballot count when the decisive seat flipped.

Before that, former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen appeared set to become kingmaker. His newly formed Moderate party won 9 percent of the vote for 16 seats, according to the full vote count, which was preliminary. 

Final results were expected later.

Frederiksen, who became Denmark’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 at age 41, teamed up with the opposition to increase NATO-member Denmark’s defence spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Her steadfast leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic was partly overshadowed by the mink-culling episode.

The decision to slaughter up to 17 million minks to protect humans from a mutation of the coronavirus was taken in haste and without the required legislation in place.

It dealt a devastating blow to Danish mink farmers, even though there was no evidence the mutated virus found among some minks was more dangerous than other strains.

READ MORE: Denmark votes as blocs woo the middle ground