The lone exception: The Hindu editorial on the victory of a leftist group in Denmark

Danish voters defied the recent trend of right-wing electoral gains in Europe, and His centre-left prime minister Mette Friedrich rewarded in Tuesday’s parliamentary election. Ms Fredrickson, who was forced to vote early under pressure from her coalition partners, scored the best performance for the Social Democrats in two decades with 27.5% of the vote. The leftist faction she leads has won 87 seats in the Danish mainland, and one in the Faroe Islands and two in Greenland, the autonomous Danish region, taking its strength to 90, with a majority in the 179-member assembly. the wanted. The elections were held amid criticism of Ms Frederiksen’s decision to exterminate millions of minks during the COVID-19 pandemic and polluters expected to deal a blow to Ms Fredriksen. In neighboring Nordic countries Sweden and Italy in southern Europe, both held elections in September, the far-right made rapid gains. In Sweden, the centre-left government was replaced by a right-wing government supported by a party with neo-Nazi origins; in Italy, a party with direct links to Mussolini’s Fascist Party was elected. In contrast, the majority of Danish voters stood firmly behind the Social Democrats, the Green Left and the Social Liberals.

Ahead of the elections, Ms Fredriksen said she would form a government with moderate centrist parties, crossing the traditional right-left divisions of Danish politics. However, government formation would be the least of their concerns. Like most European countries, Denmark is grappling with the cost of living crisis – at 11.1%, Denmark’s inflation is higher than the EU average. As the energy situation remains tense in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are concerns about disruptions in gas supplies. Denmark, one of NATO’s founding members, is also under pressure from other NATO members to increase defense spending, especially after the war. The war came to a close for the Danes when the Nord Stream Russo-Europe underwater pipeline was damaged in explosions off the Danish coast in September. And while a left-wing coalition victory may strengthen Ms Fredriksen politically, Denmark is not entirely free of the far-right problem. The Danish Democrats, a new far-right party led by a former minister jailed for illegal segregation of asylum seekers, entered parliament with 8.1% of the vote. So, Ms. Fredrickson’s task is already finished. She may look strong today, but still weak. For continued political success, it must begin with mitigating the crises of subsistence, while keeping the effects of the war on the Danish people to a minimum.