Socialdemokratiet – The Social Democrats
48/179 members of the Parliament; 27,3% (1,9% increase since September)
Leader: Mette Frederiksen
The uncontested leaders of the red camp since the inception of the concept. The red camp has always pointed towards a social democratic prime minister. The Social Democrats are one of the oldest parties in Denmark (1871) and have strong roots in the working class and the trade unions. They can be identified on posters by their red color and the letter A.
Status: Despite going from one crisis to another during Mette Frederiksen’s mandate, the party stands at roughly the same support as the result obtained in 2019. In fact, after a summer plagued by the mink scandal, the party is now on an upwards trend. Experts say that the current situation in Denmark (inflation, energy, and war crisis) might determine the voters to rally around Mette Frederiksen as“a safe hand during a crisis”.
Typical voter: 60% of the A voters are women, while 40% are in the age group 50 to 69 years old. 20% of the voters have a worker background. It used to be the party voted by the workers in factories/trade union members. Today, it is more the party of the lower middle class.
Political platform: The party is positioned center-left with a social democrat ideology. According to their program, they are the safe choice during unstable times. The focus for this election is on keeping Denmark stable; obtaining independence from Russian gas,making the green transition faster and getting more people into jobs that support our welfare (elderly care, healthcare, childcare, etc.).
Preferred type of government? Red-blue government over the center with Mette Frederiksen as prime minister.
Radikale Venstre – The Social Liberals
16/179 members of the Parliament; 4,9% (0,3% increase since September)
Leader: Sofie Carsten Nielsen
The Social Liberals is one of the four old parties of Denmark (with a history longer than 100 years). It was founded in 1905 as a split from Venstre, by the anti-militarist movement. With strong roots among the intellectuals and entrepreneurs, the party represented for many decades the progressive side of society (criticism of religion, opposition to social norms, criticism to Victorian sexual morality, anti-militarism). You can identify them by the use of magenta color and the letter B.
Status: The Social Liberals enter the elections greatly weakened. Their ultimatums triggered early elections during a time of multiple crises and that didn’t go down well with their voters. They stand to lose half of their members in the Parliament. However, their role in triggering these elections will keep them included in all the discussions and that could lead to more voters.
Typical voter: The core voter group is highly educated progressive young people, intellectuals and company leaders. 33% of the voters are young (18 to 29 years old); 25% have finished a master’s degree; 30% are leaders.
Political platform: The party is positioned on the center to center-left with a social liberal ideology. According to their program, they want to focus on green transition (biodiversity law, 80% reduction of CO2 until 2030); children and youth care (invest in better and more teachers and pedagogues) and to make it easier to bring workforce from abroad. The main areas of interest are children/youth; environment/climate and healthcare.
…and for the internationals
- Danish Citizenship given at birth, regardless of the parent’s background.
- Make it easier for non-Europeans married to Danes to get a permit to live in Denmark.
- No deportation of refugees.
- European Marshall Plan to develop Africa.
Preferred type of government? Red-blue government over the center with Mette Frederiksen as prime minister. They want to be part of the government.
SF – The Green Left (Socialist Party)
14/179 members of the Parliament; 8,1% (0,5% increase since September)
Leader: Pia Olsen Dyhr
The Green Left was founded in 1959 as a split from the Communist Party. With strong roots in the peace and anti-NATO movements during the Cold War, the party today has changed into a pro-EU green party. You can identify them by the use of both red and green colors and the letter F.
Status: The Green Left enters the campaign in good form. They are gaining ground in the opinion polls and are ready to be part of the next government. Despite being mocked as Socialdemokratiet 2.0, the party has overcome the meltdown that followed its last presence in government (2014).
Typical voter: The party’s core base is families with children that have a lower income. 66% of the voters are women. 40% of the voters are highly educated; 50% of the voters are part of the middle class.
Political platform: The party is positioned on the left with a democratic socialist ideology. According to their program, they want to focus on children/youth care (more teachers and pedagogues; less stress on students); environment/climate (nature law), and on the protection of the welfare society (higher salaries for welfare workers; less administration). The main areas of interest are Children/Youth; Environment/Climate and Healthcare.
…and for internationals
- Stop the deportation of refugees.
- Respect the promise of taking the quota of 500 refugees every year.
- Get more women with ethnic backgrounds into the job market (fight social control).
Preferred type of government? A red government with Mette Frederiksen as prime minister. They want to be part of it.
Enhedslisten – The Red-Green Alliance
13/179 members of the Parliament; 6,7% (decrease of 1,4% since September)
Leader: Mai Villadsen
In 1989, the communist and socialist parties united under the Red-Green Alliance. Since then, they represented the left-wing politics of the red camp. You can identify them by their red color and the letter Ø.
Status: The Red-Green Alliance enters the elections with a stable stronghold and a chance to obtain some extra members of the Parliament. There will be hard competition on the left from the Frie Gronne and Alternativet. Especially in Copenhagen. They are hoping that the desire of Mette Frederiksen to lead a red-blue government will push some social democrat voters into their arms.
Typical voter: Their core voter base comes from the poor people in the big cities. Their voters have the lowest incomes in Denmark. 25% are young (18 to 29 years old). 66% are part of the lower class.
Political platform: The party is positioned on the far-left with a socialist ideology. According to their program, they want to focus on building a green future, helping people overcome the inflation crisis (1 billion DKK to increase salaries of welfare workers; companies that earned more because of war and inflation should be extra taxed; support for families with children) and helping immigrants. The main areas of interest are environment/climate; healthcare and immigrants.
…and for the internationals
- Danish citizenship given at birth, regardless of parent’s background.
- Stop the deportation of refugees.
- No to the Danish Asylum Center in Rwanda.
- Simplify the process of obtaining Danish citizenship.
Preferred type of government? A red government with Mette Frederiksen as prime-minister. They are against the idea of a red-blue government.
