Denmark’s Frederiksen calls March 24 election amid U.S.-Greenland tensions
COPENHAGEN — Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday called a general election for March 24, 2026, seeking a renewed mandate as Denmark navigates strained ties with the United States over Greenland and a hardening security environment shaped by Russia. Under Denmark’s constitution, an election had to be called within four years of the last vote, held Nov. 1, 2022.
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“Whether I will continue to be your prime minister depends on how strong a mandate you give the Social Democrats in the parliamentary election to be held on March 24, 2026,” Frederiksen said, framing the coming campaign around security and Denmark’s place in a shifting world order. “Security policy is and will remain the very foundation of Danish politics for many, many years to come.”
Frederiksen said Denmark, one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers, will need to “stand on our own feet” over the next four years, signaling that Copenhagen plans to recalibrate aspects of its relationship with Washington even as it keeps the United States as a central ally.
The vote comes as Denmark and Greenland hold talks with Washington over the Arctic territory’s future. U.S. President Donald Trump has argued Greenland is vital for U.S. national security, reviving long-running strategic interest in the island. Earlier threats he made to seize the island, by force if necessary, have ebbed since he struck a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater U.S. influence, but Copenhagen has insisted that only Greenland and Denmark can decide the territory’s fate.
In the wake of the dispute, NATO launched an Arctic presence mission, dubbed Arctic Sentry, underscoring the region’s heightened geopolitical profile.
Frederiksen used the announcement to sketch her platform, pledging a reform of the retirement age and the introduction of a wealth tax — measures aimed at funding welfare priorities while shoring up the public finances for a period she described as defined by security and economic resilience.
Her Social Democrats, Denmark’s largest party, head into the race with mixed political winds. Though Frederiksen’s profile has risen during diplomatic sparring over Greenland and broader defense debates, the party suffered setbacks in European and local elections last year, losing nearly half of the municipalities it controlled — including Copenhagen, ending more than a century of Social Democrat rule in the capital.
A TV2 poll published last week put the Social Democrats at 21% of the vote. While that would keep the party in first place, it represents a 6.5-point drop from its 2022 general election result, signaling a competitive campaign ahead and raising questions about the shape of any post-election coalition.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who leads the centrist Moderates — a key government partner — said the timing was not his preference. “If it were up to us, we would have waited a bit,” he told reporters. “We had not planned for there to be elections, but now there are, and of course we are ready.”
Frederiksen, the daughter of a typesetter and a childcare assistant, became Denmark’s youngest prime minister in 2019 at age 41. She retained power in 2022 by forging an uncommon cross-aisle coalition with center-right parties, a formula she may need again if the Social Democrats fall short of a clear majority.
With security at the forefront and Arctic politics increasingly central, the March 24 vote will test whether Danish voters endorse Frederiksen’s promise to reinforce defense, redefine the U.S. relationship on Danish terms, and pursue domestic reforms — or steer the country toward a new balance in a turbulent era.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
