The center-left prime minister has experienced a surge of support after she rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to seize Greenland.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark has emerged as one of the more based leaders of Western democracies. Her resistance to Donald Trump's lust for Greenland has boosted her popularity in Denmark. Do she has decided to take advantage of that approval spike by calling early parliamentary elections.
Denmark will hold a snap election next month, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Thursday. “I have recommended to King Frederik that elections be held on March 24,” Frederiksen told lawmakers during a plenary session of the Danish parliament in Copenhagen. With less than a year left in the current parliamentary term, the country was due to go to the polls no later than Oct. 31. But the decision to move up the date of the vote is likely based on the surge of support Frederiksen’s ruling Social Democrats have experienced as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive threats to annex Greenland. [ ... ] In an interview later Thursday with DR, Frederiksen said it was a responsible decision to call for elections now, despite the pressure from Trump’s escalations over Greenland. “You could also put it this way: Trump should not decide over Greenland, and he should not decide when there are elections in Denmark either.”
In NATO countries, the "Trump effect" has been producing unfavorable results for him.
In Canada, the Liberal Party was running third in some polls in December of 2024. When newly installed Prime Minister Mark Carney called early elections for last April the Liberals won a near majority in Parliament.
Mette Frederiksen is counting on a "Greenland bounce" thanks to Trump.
Greenland is not the only issue in Denmark. But Frederiksen has shown that Denmark won't be bullied by Trump. And she does well on another big European issue – migration. Under Frederiksen, Denmark has placed strict controls on the number of migrants settling in the country. So far right parties have not been able to gain much traction on the issue; two far right parties together have only one-eighth of the seats in parliament.
The Folketing is Denmark's 179 member unicameral parliament. If you include the 2 MPs each from Greenland and the Færoe Islands, there are 16 parties plus several independents. No single party has won a majority in living memory. So if Frederiksen's Socialdemokratiet party comes in first, it will still be necessary to put together a coalition government.
BTW, another NATO country is having national elections weeks after Denmark – Hungary. Putin fanboy Viktor Orbán is currently behind in the polls. So it's possible he may lose – despite getting Donald Trump's endorsement.
