A new leader will be elected at the party congress on 18-19 November. However, everyone is already pointing towards the only candidate, Troels Lund Poulsen.
Former leader of Venstre Ungdom (the young liberals).
Minister of Environment at 31 years old in the Anders Fogh Rasmussen government (2007). That’s when he got the nickname “Traktor-Troels”. Why? He loves big agricultural machines from John Deere.
In 2010, he got an expensive watch (exclusive Rolex) from an oil sheikh (Qatar). Public officials are not allowed to receive big gifts (nothing more than a bottle of wine or books), so he had to return the gold watch. However, he got another nickname, “Trolex”.
He was suspected in 2011 of having leaked the confidential tax papers of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. After a very long investigation, he was acquitted. However, the matter is far from solved, according to Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
Traditionally, the leader of Venstre is also the Prime Minister candidate. However, Troels points out the low opinion polls and dismisses any intention to become Prime Minister at the next election round.
