Voting began Tuesday in Denmark in an election that could deliver Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen a third term after she gained momentum following her rebuff of then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to seize Greenland.
Frederiksen, 48, called the snap election well before an October deadline and timed it to take advantage of a political recovery after setbacks last year tied to rising living costs and controversy over strict asylum reforms. Her Social Democrats have climbed in the polls to roughly 21%, up from a December low of about 17%, a rise observers attribute in part to her handling of the Greenland episode.
Greenland, a semi-autonomous Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty, became a flashpoint when the U.S. raised the idea of acquiring it. Frederiksen’s firm response to that overture boosted her standing at home and abroad.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time and will close at 20:00, when exit polls are expected.
Domestic issues have dominated the campaign again, with debates over a proposed wealth tax and immigration policy taking center stage. Frederiksen has emphasized her record of decisive leadership, arguing she can guide Denmark — a nation of nearly six million people — through a complex relationship with Washington and help shape Europe’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Frederiksen has led the country since 2019, when at 41 she became Denmark’s youngest-ever prime minister. Her previous government bridged the left-right divide for the first time in more than four decades.
The political field is fragmented, with 12 parties on the ballot. Projections put the left-wing bloc that includes the Social Democrats narrowly ahead but still likely short of the 90 seats needed for a majority in Denmark’s 179-seat parliament. Four seats representing Greenland and the Faroe Islands could prove decisive.
With the left expected to hold relatively steady and the right likely to be split, Frederiksen remains the frontrunner to assemble a parliamentary majority and form a coalition government.