Social Democrats (Denmark) - Wikipedia

Social Democrats (Denmark) - Wikipedia
Jump to content
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Centre-left Danish political party
Social Democrats
Socialdemokratiet
Abbreviation
Chairperson
Mette Frederiksen
Deputy chairs
Lennart Damsbo-Andersen
Christian Rabjerg Madsen
Founder
Louis Pio
Founded
15 October 1871
; 154 years ago
1871-10-15
Headquarters
Vester Voldgade 96 1552,
Copenhagen
Newspaper
Socialdemokraten
Student wing
Frit Forum – Social Democratic Students of Denmark
Youth wing
Social Democratic Youth of Denmark
Membership
(2020)
32,137
Ideology
Social democracy
Left-conservatism
Political position
Centre-left
European affiliation
Party of European Socialists
European Parliament group
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
International affiliation
Progressive Alliance
Socialist International
(1951–2017)
Nordic affiliation
SAMAK
The Social Democratic Group
Colours
Red
Anthem
"Når jeg ser et rødt flag smælde"
('When I see a red flag billow')
Folketing
38 / 179
European Parliament
3 / 15
Regions
36 / 205
Municipalities
599 / 2,436
Mayors
26 / 98
Election symbol
Website
socialdemokratiet.dk
Politics of Denmark
Political parties
Elections
A:
The party has also been described as
left-conservative
given its more
conservative
stances on some
socio-cultural
issues.
The
Social Democrats
Danish
Socialdemokratiet
[soˈɕɛˀlte̝moˌkʰʁɑˀtɪət]
lit.
The Social Democracy
) is a
social democratic
political party in Denmark.
10
11
A member of the
Party of European Socialists
, the Social Democrats have 38 out of 179 members of the Danish parliament (following the
latest Danish general election
held in 2026), the
Folketing
, and three out of fourteen
MEPs
elected from Denmark.
Founded by
Louis Pio
in 1871, the party first entered the
Folketing
in the
1884 Danish Folketing election
. By the early 20th century, it had become the party with the largest representation in the Folketing, a distinction it would hold for 77 years. It first formed a government after the
1924 Danish Folketing election
under
Thorvald Stauning
, the longest-serving
Danish Prime Minister
of the 20th century. During Stauning's government which lasted until the
1926 Danish Folketing election
, the Social Democrats exerted a profound influence on
Danish society
, laying the foundation of the Danish
welfare state
. From 2002 to 2016, the party used the name
Socialdemokraterne
in some contexts.
14
The party was a member of the
Labour and Socialist International
from 1923 to 1940. A member of the
Socialist International
until 2017, the party withdrew to join the
Progressive Alliance
, founded in 2013.
The party was the
major coalition partner
in government from the
2011 Danish general election
until the
2015 Danish general election
, with then-party leader
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
as
Prime Minister
. After losing power in the 2015 election, Thorning-Schmidt was succeeded as party leader on 28 June 2015 by the former Vice Leader
Mette Frederiksen
, who shifted the party back to the
political left
on economics, while criticising mass
immigration
15
16
Frederiksen led the party to win the
2019
and
2022 Danish general election
, forming
a single-party minority government
from 2019 to 2022 and
a majority grand-coalition government
with the centre-right
Venstre
and the centrist
Moderates
since 2022.
Overview
edit
The party traces its own history back to the International Labour Association, founded in 1871 and banned in 1873, loosely re-organised in the Social Democratic Labour Party which in 1876 issued the Gimle program, but as a formal political party it was first founded from 11–12 February 1878 as the
Social Democratic Federation
. This name was formally carried by the party for almost a hundred years, although in practice it also used a number of other names until it changed its name to Social Democracy in 1965. At a congress in
Aalborg
in 2002, the party changed its name to the Social Democrats, but from 2016 again only Social Democracy is used.
12
13
The party has the letter
as a symbol, but the abbreviation
is often used in the media. The party's classic symbol is a
red rose
and in recent times an
in a red circle. Aside from the classical socialist
red
colour,
17
the party has recently adopted a more light red colour called
competition orange
18
The party was a member of the
Labour and Socialist International
between 1923 and 1940.
19
It is now a member of the
Progressive Alliance
, an association of progressive social-democratic parties.
20
The Social Democrats are also a member of the
Party of European Socialists
while the party's
MEPs
sit in the
Socialists & Democrats
group.
History
edit
19th century
edit
Socialist
pioneer
Louis Pio
, founder and first leader of the Social Democrats (1871–1872) and 1875–1877)
The party was founded as the International Labour Association of Denmark on 15 October 1871 by
Louis Pio
Harald Brix
and
Paul Geleff
21
The goal was to organise the emerging
working class
on a
democratic and socialist
basis. The
industrialisation
of Denmark had begun in the mid-19th century and a period of rapid
urbanisation
had led to an emerging class of
urban workers
. The social-democratic movement emerged from the desire to give this group
political rights
and
representation
in the
Folketing
, the Danish
parliament
. In 1876, the party held an annual conference, adopting the first party manifesto.
22
The stated policy was as follows:
The Danish Social Democratic Labour Party works in its national form, but is convinced of the international nature of the labour movement and ready to sacrifice everything and fulfill all obligations to provide: Freedom, equality and brotherhood among all nations.
In 1884, the party had their first two members of parliament elected, namely
Peter Thygesen Holm
and
Chresten Hørdum
20th century
edit
Thorvald Stauning
, the party's first Prime Minister (1924–1926 and 1929–1942) on his 1935
Stauning or Chaos
election poster
In 1906, the party created the Social Democratic Youth Association, lasting until 1920 when the
Social Democratic Youth of Denmark
and current party's
youth wing
was founded. In the
1924 Danish Folketing election
, the party won the majority with 36.6 percent of the vote and its first government was put in place with
Thorvald Stauning
as
Prime Minister
23
That same year, he appointed
Nina Bang
as the world's first female minister, nine years after
women's suffrage
had been given in Denmark. Stauning stayed in power until his death in 1942, with his party laying the foundations for the Danish
welfare state
based on a close collaboration between labor unions and the government.
24
In January 1933, Stauning's government entered into what was then the most extensive settlement yet in
Danish politics
, namely the
Kanslergade settlement
Danish
Kanslergadeforliget
) with the liberal party
Venstre
25
The settlement was named after Stauning's apartment in Kanslergade in
Copenhagen
and included extensive
agricultural subsidies
and reforms of the legislation and administration in the social sector.
26
In 1935, Stauning was reelected with the famous slogan "
Stauning or Chaos
".
27
Stauning's second cabinet lasted until the
Nazi
occupation of Denmark
in 1940, when the cabinet was widened to include all political parties for a
national unity government
and the Danish government pursued a collaborative policy with the German occupiers. Through the 1940s and until 1972, most of
Denmark's Prime Ministers
were from the party.
28
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen government coalition: 1993–2001
edit
Social Democrats election poster for the October 1945 general election
The Social Democrats'
social policy
through the 1990s and continuing in the 21st century involved a significant
redistribution of income
and the maintenance of a large state apparatus with collectively financed core
public services
such as
public healthcare
education
and
infrastructure
. Social Democrats-led coalition governments (the
II
III
and
IV
Cabinets of
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
) implemented the system known as
flexicurity
(flexibility and social security), mixing strong Scandinavian
unemployment benefits
with deregulated employment laws, making it easier for employers to fire and rehire people in order to encourage
economic growth
and reduce unemployment.
29
22
The Cabinets of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen maintained a parliamentary majority during the period from 1993 to 2001 by virtue of their support from the
Socialist People's Party
and the
Red–Green Alliance
30
Towards the end of the 1990s, a
trade surplus
of 30 billion
kroner
(US$4.9 billion) turned into a
deficit
citation needed
To combat this, the government increased taxes, limiting
private consumption
. The 1998 initiative, dubbed the Whitsun Packet (Danish:
Pinsepakken
) from the season it was issued, was not universally popular with the electorate; it may have also been a factor in the Social Democrats' defeat in the
2001 Danish general election
In opposition: 2001–2011
edit
After being defeated by the
Liberal Party
in the 2001 Danish general election, the party chairmanship went to former
finance
and
foreign minister
Mogens Lykketoft
. Following another defeat in the
2005 Danish general election
, Lykketoft announced his resignation as party leader and at an extraordinary congress on 12 March it was decided that all members of the party would cast votes in an election of a new party leader. The two contenders for the leadership represented the two wings in the party, with
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
being viewed as
centrist
and
Frank Jensen
being viewed as slightly more
left-leaning
. On 12 April 2005, Thorning-Schmidt was elected as the new leader.
31
Helle Thorning-Schmidt government coalition: 2011–2015
edit
In the
2011 Danish general election
, the Social Democrats gained 44 seats in Parliament, the lowest number since 1953.
32
Nonetheless, the party succeeded in establishing a minority government with the
Danish Social Liberal Party
and the
Socialist People's Party
. The incumbent centre-right coalition led by the
Liberal Party
lost power to a centre-left coalition led by the Social Democrats, making Thorning-Schmidt the country's first female prime minister. The Danish Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party became part of the three-party centre-left coalition government. The new parliament convened on 4 October. The government rolled back anti-immigration legislation enacted by the previous government
33
and passed a tax-reform with support from the liberal-conservative opposition.
34
The tax reform raised the top tax threshold, which had previously applied to over half the working population. The aim of the tax reform was to increase labour output to fend off a projected labour shortage within the next decades. The stated goal was to entice Danes to work more in order to compensate for the decreasing workforce by lowering tax on wages and gradually lowering welfare payments to those outside of the labour market to increase the economic benefit of working relative to receiving welfare.
35
On 3 February 2014, the Socialist People's Party left the government in protest over the sale of shares in the public energy company
DONG Energy
to the investment bank
Goldman Sachs
36
Because of the government's minority status and of its dependency on the support of the Danish Social Liberal Party, the government had to jettison many of the policies that the Social Democrats–Socialist People's Party coalition had given during the campaign. Although critics have accused the government of breaking its promises, other studies argue that it accomplished half of its stated goals, blaming instead poor public relations strategies for its increasingly negative public image.
37
The government pursued a centrist compromise agenda, building several reforms with support from both sides of the parliament. This caused friction with the supporting Red–Green Alliance, who were kept outside of influencing decisions.
34
In opposition: 2015–2019
edit
In the
2015 Danish general election
, the Social Democrats gained seats and became the biggest party in Parliament again since 2001, yet lost the government because the right-wing parties had a majority. The results of the 2015 election and the defeat of the left-bloc led Thorning-Schmidt to resign as prime minister on election night and making way for the next leader
Mette Frederiksen
38
Under Frederiksen, the Social Democrats voted in favor of a law allowing Danish authorities to confiscate money, jewellery and other valuable items refugees crossing the border may have as long as those valuables have no sentimental value,
39
despite harsh condemnation from the
United Nations Human Right Council
40
and widespread comparisons between the plan and the treatment of
Jews
in
Nazi-occupied Europe
41
The law had been used 17 times in the first six years.
42
Similarly, the Social Democrats voted for
a law banning
wearing of
burqas
and
niqabs
, while abstaining during a vote on a law on mandatory handshakes irrespective of religious sentiment at citizenship ceremonies and on a plan to house criminal
asylum seekers
on an island used for researching contagious animal diseases. Frederiksen has also backed the right-wing populist
Danish People's Party
in their paradigm shift push to make
repatriation
rather than
social integration
the goal of asylum policy. She has called for a cap on non-Western immigrants, expulsion of asylum seekers to a reception centre in North Africa and forced labour for immigrants in exchange for benefits. Labeling foreign policies of Europe as too
economic liberal
, Frederiksen has criticised other social democratic parties for losing their voters' trust by failing to prevent globalisation chipping away at labour rights, increasing inequality and exposing them to uncontrolled immigration.
43
2019–present: Frederiksen I and II
edit
Mette Frederiksen
during a debate with
Martin Lidegaard
and
Mona Juul
in
Nyborg
, January 2026
In the
2019 Danish general election
, the Social Democrats gained one further seat and the opposition red bloc of
left-wing
and
centre-left
parties (the Social Democrats, the Danish Social Liberal Party, the Socialist People's Party and the Red–Green Alliance along with the
Faroese
Social Democratic Party
and
Greenland
's
Inuit Ataqatigiit
and
Siumut
) won a majority of 93 out of 179 seats in the Folketing while support for the
Danish People's Party
and the
Liberal Alliance
collapsed, costing
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
his majority. With the result beyond doubt on election night, Rasmussen conceded defeat and Frederiksen has been commissioned by
Queen Margrethe II
to lead the negotiations to form a new government.
44
45
On 27 June 2019, Frederiksen was successful in forming the
Frederiksen Cabinet
, an exclusively Social Democrats minority government supported by the red bloc, becoming the second woman in the role after Thorning-Schmidt as well as the youngest prime minister in Danish history at the age of 41.
46
Despite having run on an
anti-immigration
stance during the election, Frederiksen shifted her stance on immigration by allowing more foreign labour and reversing government plans to hold foreign criminals offshore after winning government.
47
48
49
In the
2022 Danish general election
, the Social Democrats gained 2 more seats with more than twice the number of seats of any other party.
50
This led to the formation of the
Frederiksen II
cabinet, which included the Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and the newly formed
Moderates
, being a cross-bloc government. This marked the first time in more than 40 years that the Social Democrats and the Liberal Party, two historical political rivals, have been together in a government.
51
In the
2025 Danish local elections
, the Social Democrats suffered significant losses, and losing in
Copenhagen
after more than 100 years.
52
In the
2026 Danish general election
, the Social Democrats lost 12 seats, their worst result since 1903. However, the Social Democrats remained the largest party in the Folketing.
53
Platform
edit
Part of
a series
on
Social democracy
History
Age of Enlightenment
French Revolution
Utopian socialism
Revolutions of 1848
Reformist–revolutionary dispute
Internationalist–defencist schism
Frankfurt Declaration
Godesberg Program
Pink tide
Pasokification
Concepts
Critical social work
Class collaboration
Gradualism
Labor rights
Land reform
Mixed economy
Nationalization
Reformism
Social corporatism
Social justice
Social market economy
Tripartism
Welfare
state
Ideologies
Allendism
Bevanism
Blairism
Brownism
Democratic socialism
Ethical socialism
Evolutionary socialism
Figuerism
Gaitskellism
Kirchnerism
Liberal socialism
Lulism
Mosaddeghism
Socialism of the 21st century
People
Allende
Ardern
Attlee
Awolowo
Bebel
Ben-Gurion
Berger
Bernstein
Betancourt
Bhutto
Blair
Brandt
Branting
Brown
Callaghan
Cantor
Cárdenas
Clark
Craxi
Crosland
Curtin
Daszyński
Douglas
Drees
Ebert
Ecevit
Engels
Erlander
Fraser
Gaitskell
Gandhi
Gerhardsen
Gorbachev
González
Goulart
Hardie
Hilferding
Hook
İnönü
Jaurès
Jenkins
Junmai
Katayama
Kerensky
Kirk
Kreisky
Lagos
Layton
Lévesque
Lewis
MacDonald
Mandela
Marx
Mosaddegh
Nehru
Palme
Prodi
Sánchez
Sanders
Savage
Scholz
Stauning
Den Uyl
Vail
Webb
Whitlam
Wilson
Parties
CPDS
ESDP
Labour
LSDP
MLSTP–PSD
MSZDP
MSZP
NDP
PES
PS
Andorra
France
Portugal
PSD
PSDE
PSDSH
PSOE
PSSh
Denmark
Latvia
SAP
SD
SDE
SDF
SDK
SDLP
SDP
Croatia
Finland
Japan
Montenegro
SDPI
SDSM
Smer
SOCDEM
SocDems
SPD
SDP BiH
SPDS
SP
SPÖ
WP
Organizations
International Trade Union Confederation
International Union of Socialist Youth
Progressive Alliance
Socialist International
Young European Socialists
Network of Social Democracy in Asia
Related
Anti-Stalinist left
Fist and rose
The Internationale
Progressivism
Social fascism
Tankie
Three Arrows
Politics portal
Socialism portal
Since its foundation, the motto of the party has been "
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
" and these values are still described as central in the party program. In the political program, these values are described as being consistent with a focus on solidarity with the poorest and social welfare to those who need it, with individual responsibility in relation to other members in society and with an increased involvement in the
European Union
project.
54
As well as adopting more
left-leaning
economics, the party has become increasingly sceptical of
immigration
from the late 2010s. The party believes that immigration has had negative consequences for much of the population, a more pressing issue since at least 2001 after the
11 September attacks
which intensified during the
2015 European migrant crisis
. It also returned to a more sceptical view of
economic liberalism
, arguing that its adherence to
Third Way
politics, its application of
centrist
and
neoliberal
economics, and supporting unrestricted
economic globalisation
contributed to the party's poor electoral performance in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
15
16
The party is described as
anti-globalisation
anti-immigrant
, and critical of Islam. According to the party, Muslim immigrants do not respect the Danish judicial system, Muslim women abstain from working for religious reason, and they are also subject to "massive social control" in their immigrant communities.
55
In a biography written before becoming the prime minister in 2019,
Mette Frederiksen
wrote: "For me, it is becoming increasingly clear that the price of unregulated globalisation, mass immigration and the free movement of labour is paid for by the lower classes."
56
Frederiksen combined opposition to immigration and support for
social cohesion
with criticism of
globalisation
, wealth inequality and erosion of workers' rights.
57
Economist
Mark Blyth
wrote that under Frederiksen, the Danish Social Democrats have "torn up the neoliberal rule book" in favor of combining increased government spending with immigration controls.
58
The party had factions that promoted anti-immigration policies since the 1980s, but it was Mette Frederiksen that completed the party's right-turn on immigration. Since then, Social Democrats have been supporting strict controls of immigration, arguing that it is integral to "a new class struggle" as it protects the national culture, rural communities and the working-class identities of Denmark.
59
The party's proposals include expulsion of asylum seekers, a cap on non-Western immigration, and a requirement for immigrants to work at least 37 hours per week before being given a right to social and welfare benefits.
It links immigration to sexual violence, trafficking and erosion of Danish culture.
60
The party also legally obliged rejected asylum applicants to reside in "return centres" and be excluded from the Danish labour market.
61
The party justified the strict migration policy as a defence of Denmark's strong welfare state, with the 2026 party programme stating that "we must distinguish between those who can and want to (belong to) Denmark, and those who do not."
62
Social Democrats adopted a conservative stance on cultural diversity, supporting repatriation rather than integration, postulating a ban on burqas and niqabs, and voting in favour of a law allowing Danish authorities to confiscate valuable items from refugees crossing the border.
It also implemented a ban on room prayers in schools, strict requirements for family reunions, and a "ghetto plan", where immigrant areas designated as "ghettos" were given special regulation such as doubled punishments for certain crimes, easier access to personal information of residents for state authorities, and obligatory day care institutions for children (with non-attendance resulting in welfare grants cuts).
63
The party is considered to have "moved strongly to the center" on other cultural issues;
64
it makes no mention of gender and racial equality in its ideological declarations.
60
These stances were compared to the ones of
radical right
parties and argued to have made them mainstream, with critics suggesting that the far-right was slowed at a high cost in terms of tolerance, as also reflected in polling in a country that was more tolerant compared to other European countries. Rune Stubager, a political science professor at
Aarhus University
, argued that the move had prevented them "from growing beyond a certain segment of the electorate ... like we've seen in other countries where mainstream parties have not tightened immigration regulation to the same extent".
65
Valur Ingimundarson of the
University of Iceland
wrote that the Social Democrats had "revised their immigration policy in such a radical way that it echoes many of the core tenets of the right-wing
Danish People's Party
", and "embraced the anti-immigration and anti-refugee stance of the populist right".
66
Josef Joffe
described the party's new stance as a combination of a "harsh anti-immigrant—but generous social—policy", and argued that by adopting such platform, the Social Democrats had "put on rightish clothes".
67
Foreign Policy
argued that the party "adopted the far-right's anti-immigration stance", citing their rejection of the
United Nations
annual quota of refugees resettled, support prison sentences for immigrant parents who take their children on extended visits to their home country, closing asylum centers, advocating detaining asylum seekers offshore and establishing facilities in North African countries instead.
68
Since then, the party is described as a "
left conservative
" social democratic party that "places itself to the left on issues related to welfare and redistribution, and right on cultural and value‐related issues".
Its ideology was also described as a combination of "populism, socialism and
cultural conservatism
",
69
and Social Democrats are compared to the
Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance
, a German "left-conservative" party that split from
Die Linke
70
The party was also described as
welfare chauvinist
71
72
73
as well as
nativist
74
The party is thus seen to have taken a "nationalist and anti-immigrant turn", and increasingly came to be "perceived as a right-wing party".
75
Frederiksen argued that her party had previously "underestimated the challenge of mass migration" and that the "economic policy and foreign policy in Europe have been too liberal."
61
Political leadership
edit
The party leader since 2015 is
Mette Frederiksen
. She succeeded
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
, who stepped down after the left bloc's defeat in the
2015 Danish general election
. Deputy Party Leaders are
Lennart Damsbo-Andersen
and
Christian Rabjerg Madsen
. The Secretary General is
Annette Lind
76
Prime ministers
edit
See also:
Prime Minister of Denmark
Thorvald Stauning
(1924–1926, 1929–1942)
Vilhelm Buhl
(1942, 1945)
Hans Hedtoft
(1947–1950, 1953–1955)
Hans Christian Hansen
(1955–1960)
Viggo Kampmann
(1960–1962)
Jens Otto Krag
(1962–1968, 1971–1972)
Anker Jørgensen
(1972–1973, 1975–1982)
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
(1993–2001)
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
(2011–2015)
Mette Frederiksen
(2019–
incumbent
Leaders of the Social Democrats
edit
No.
Portrait
Leader
Took office
Left office
Time in office
Pio, Louis
Louis Pio
(1841–1894)
1871
1872
0–1 years
Wurtz, Carl
Carl Würtz
(1832–ca. 1873)
1872
1873
0–1 years
Klein, Ernst Wilhelm
Ernst Wilhelm Klein
(1830–ca. 1879)
1873
1872
1–2 years
(1)
Pio, Louis
Louis Pio
(1841–1894)
1875
1877
1–2 years
Hordum, Christen
Christen Hørdum
(1846–1911)
1877
1878
0–1 years
Meyer, A C
A.C. Meyer
(1858–1938)
1878
1878
0 years
Wiegell, Saxo W
Saxo W. Wiegell
(1843–1909)
1878
1880
1–2 years
(4)
Hordum, Christen
Christen Hørdum
(1846–1911)
1880
1882
1–2 years
Knudsen, Peter Christian
Peter Christian Knudsen
(1848–1910)
1882
1910
27–28 years
Stauning, Thorvald
Thorvald Stauning
(1873–1942)
1910
1939
28–29 years
Hedtoft, Hans
Hans Hedtoft
(1903–1955)
1939
1955
15–16 years
10
Hansen, H C
H. C. Hansen
(1906–1960)
1955
1960
4–5 years
11
Kampmann, Viggo
Viggo Kampmann
(1910–1976)
1960
1962
1–2 years
12
Krag, Jens Otto
Jens Otto Krag
(1914–1978)
1962
1972
9–10 years
13
Jorgensen, Anker
Anker Jørgensen
(1922–2016)
1972
1987
14–15 years
14
Auken, Svend
Svend Auken
(1943–2009)
1987
3 September 1992
4–5 years
15
Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
(born 1943)
3 September 1992
14 December 2002
10 years
16
Lykketoft, Mogens
Mogens Lykketoft
(born 1946)
14 December 2002
12 April 2005
2 years
17
Thorning-Schmidt, Helle
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
(born 1966)
12 April 2005
28 June 2015
10 years
18
Frederiksen, Mette
Mette Frederiksen
(born 1977)
28 June 2015
10 years
Election results
edit
The Social Democrats governed Denmark for most of the 20th century, with a few intermissions such as the
Conservative People's Party
-led government of
Poul Schlüter
in the 1980s. It continued to be Denmark's largest party until 2001 when
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
's liberal
Venstre
party gained a landslide victory, becoming the largest party and forming a centre-right government. From 2015 and onwards, The Social Democrats have again been the largest party in Denmark. The Social Democrats returned to government from 2011 to 2015 and since 2019.
Parliament
edit
Folketing
Year
Leader
Votes
± pp
Seats
+/–
Rank
Result
1884
P. Knudsen
7,000
4.9
New
2 / 102
New
3rd
Opposition
1887
8,000
3.5
1.4
1 / 102
3rd
Opposition
1890
17,000
7.3
3.8
3 / 102
3rd
Opposition
1892
20,000
8.9
1.6
2 / 102
4th
Opposition
1895
24,510
11.3
2.4
8 / 114
4th
Opposition
1898
31,870
14.2
2.9
12 / 114
4th
Opposition
1901
38,398
17.8
3.6
14 / 114
3rd
Opposition
1903
48,117
21.0
3.2
16 / 114
3rd
Opposition
1906
76,612
25.4
4.4
24 / 114
2nd
Opposition
1909
93,079
29.0
3.6
24 / 114
1st
External support
1910
Thorvald Stauning
98,718
28.3
0.7
24 / 114
2nd
Opposition
1913
107,365
29.6
1.3
32 / 114
1st
External support
1915
1,134
8.8
20.8
32 / 114
3rd
External support
1918
262,796
28.7
19.9
39 / 140
2nd
External support
1920
(April)
300,345
29.2
0.5
42 / 140
2nd
Caretaker government
1920
(July)
285,166
29.8
0.6
42 / 140
2nd
Opposition
1920
(September)
389,653
32.2
2.4
48 / 149
2nd
Opposition
1924
469,949
36.6
4.4
55 / 149
1st
Minority
1926
497,106
37.2
0.6
53 / 149
1st
Opposition
1929
593,191
41.8
4.6
61 / 149
1st
Coalition
1932
660.839
42.7
0.9
62 / 149
1st
Coalition
1935
759,102
46.4
3.7
68 / 149
1st
Coalition
1939
729,619
42.9
3.5
64 / 149
1st
Coalition
1943
Alsing Andersen
894,632
44.5
1.6
66 / 149
1st
Coalition
1945
Hans Hedtoft
671,755
32.8
11.7
48 / 149
18
1st
Opposition
1947
836,231
41.2
8.4
57 / 150
1st
Minority
1950
813,224
39.6
1.6
59 / 151
1st
Opposition
1953
(April)
836,507
40.4
0.8
61 / 151
1st
Opposition
1953
(September)
894,913
41.3
0.9
74 / 179
13
1st
Minority
1957
H.C. Hansen
910,170
39.4
1.9
70 / 179
1st
Coalition
1960
Viggo Kampmann
1,023,794
42.1
2.7
76 / 179
1st
Coalition
1964
Jens Otto Krag
1,103,667
41.9
0.2
76 / 179
1st
Minority
1966
1,068,911
38.2
3.7
69 / 179
1st
Minority
1968
974,833
34.2
4.0
62 / 179
1st
Opposition
1971
1,074,777
37.3
3.1
70 / 179
1st
Minority
1973
Anker Jørgensen
783,145
25.6
11.4
46 / 179
24
1st
Opposition
1975
913,155
29.9
4.0
53 / 179
1st
Minority
1977
1,150,355
37.0
7.1
65 / 179
12
1st
Minority
(1977–1978)
Coalition
(1978–1979)
1979
1,213,456
38.3
1.3
68 / 179
1st
Minority
1981
1,026,726
32.9
5.4
59 / 179
1st
Minority
(1981–1982)
Opposition
(1982–1984)
1984
1,062,561
31.6
1.3
56 / 179
1st
Opposition
1987
985,906
29.3
2.3
54 / 179
1st
Opposition
1988
Svend Auken
992,682
29.8
0.5
55 / 179
1st
Opposition
1990
1,221,121
37.4
7.6
69 / 179
14
1st
Opposition
(1990–1993)
Coalition
(1993–1994)
1994
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
1,150,048
34.6
2.8
62 / 179
1st
Coalition
1998
1,223,620
35.9
1.3
63 / 179
1st
Coalition
2001
1,003,023
29.1
6.8
52 / 179
11
2nd
Opposition
2005
Mogens Lykketoft
867,350
25.8
3.3
47 / 179
2nd
Opposition
2007
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
881,037
25.5
0.3
45 / 179
2nd
Opposition
2011
879,615
24.8
0.7
44 / 179
2nd
Coalition
2015
925,288
26.3
1.5
47 / 179
1st
Opposition
2019
Mette Frederiksen
915,363
25.9
0.4
48 / 179
1st
Minority
2022
971,995
27.5
1.6
50 / 179
1st
Coalition
2026
779,252
21.8
5.7
38 / 179
12
1st
TBA
Local elections
edit
Municipal elections
Year
Seats
No.
1925
1,840 / 11,289
1929
1,957 / 11,329
117
1933
2,218 / 11,424
261
1937
2,496 / 11,425
278
1943
2,713 / 10,569
217
1946
2,975 / 11,488
262
1950
2,960 / 11,499
15
1954
3,139 / 11,505
179
1958
3,023 / 11,529
116
1962
2,196 / 11,414
827
1966
2,638 / 10,005
442
Municipal reform
1970
1,769 / 4,677
769
1974
1,532 / 4,735
237
1978
1,704 / 4,759
172
1981
1,601 / 4,769
103
1985
1,722 / 4,773
121
1989
1,753 / 4,737
31
1993
1,700 / 4,703
53
1997
1,648 / 4,685
52
2001
1,551 / 4,647
97
Municipal reform
2005
900 / 2,522
651
2009
801 / 2,468
99
2013
773 / 2,444
28
2017
842 / 2,432
69
2021
756 / 2,436
86
Regional elections
Year
Seats
No.
1935
85 / 299
1943
92 / 299
1946
94 / 299
1950
89 / 299
1954
97 / 299
1958
96 / 303
1962
100 / 301
1966
99 / 303
Municipal reform
1970
162 / 366
63
1974
135 / 370
27
1978
144 / 370
1981
140 / 370
1985
143 / 374
1989
146 / 374
1993
136 / 374
10
1997
136 / 374
2001
129 / 374
Municipal reform
2005
77 / 205
52
2009
68 / 205
2013
67 / 205
2017
70 / 205
2021
64 / 205
Mayors
Year
Seats
No.
2005
45 / 98
2009
49 / 98
2013
33 / 98
16
2017
47 / 98
14
2021
43 / 98
European Parliament elections
edit
European Parliament
Year
List leader
Votes
Seats
+/–
EP Group
1979
Kjeld Olesen
382,487
21.92 (#1)
3 / 16
New
SOC
1984
Eva Gredal
387,098
19.45 (#3)
3 / 16
1989
Kirsten Jensen
417,076
23.31 (#1)
4 / 16
1994
329,202
15.83 (#3)
3 / 16
PES
1999
Torben Lund
324,256
16.46 (#2)
3 / 16
2004
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
618,412
32.65 (#1)
5 / 14
2009
Dan Jørgensen
503,982
21.49 (#1)
4 / 13
S&D
2014
Jeppe Kofod
435,245
19.12 (#2)
3 / 13
2019
592,645
21.48 (#2)
3 / 14
2024
Christel Schaldemose
381,125
15.57 (#2)
3 / 14
Representation
edit
Folketing
edit
See also:
List of members of the Folketing, 2019–2023
At the
2019 election
the Social Democrats won 48 seats in parliament.
Henrik Sass Larsen
was originally elected, but resigned his seat on 30 September 2019, after which
Tanja Larsson
took over his seat.
77
Ida Auken
was originally elected as a member of the
Socialist People's Party
, but switched to the Social Democrats on 29 January 2021.
78
79
Ida Auken
Trine Bramsen
Bjørn Brandenborg
Jeppe Bruus
Morten Bødskov
Lennart Damsbo-Andersen
Kaare Dybvad
Benny Engelbrecht
Camilla Fabricius
Mette Frederiksen
Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen
Orla Hav
Mette Gjerskov
Magnus Heunicke
Peter Hummelgaard
Nick Hækkerup
Daniel Toft Jakobsen
Leif Lahn Jensen
Mogens Jensen
Thomas Jensen
Jens Joel
Jan Johansen
Dan Jørgensen
Kasper Sand Kjær
Simon Kollerup
Astrid Krag
Henrik Dam Kristensen
Anders Kronborg
Rasmus Horn Langhoff
Malte Larsen
Tanja Larsson
Bjarne Laustsen
Annette Lind
Christian Rabjerg Madsen
Flemming Møller Mortensen
Henrik Møller
Anne Paulin
Jesper Petersen
Rasmus Prehn
Lars Aslan Rasmussen
Troels Ravn
Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
Kasper Roug
Julie Skovsby
Rasmus Stoklund
Mattias Tesfaye
Birgitte Vind
Nicolai Wammen
Lea Wermelin
European Parliament
edit
See also:
List of members of the European Parliament for Denmark, 2019–2024
At the
2019 European Parliament election
, the Social Democrats won three seats. The Social Democrats are part of the
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
in the European Parliament.
80
Niels Fuglsang
Christel Schaldemose
Marianne Vind
Nordic Council
edit
Of the 16 Danish members of the Nordic Council, four are members of the Social Democrats. The members of the Nordic Council are not elected by the public, but instead chosen by the parliamentary party groups. The Social Democrats are part of
The Social Democratic Group
in the Nordic Council.
81
82
Orla Hav
Anders Kronborg
Henrik Møller
Kasper Roug
Youth wings
edit
Main articles:
Frit Forum
and
Social Democratic Youth of Denmark
The Social Democratic Youth of Denmark (Danish:
Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom
) is the Social Democrats' youth wing. It was founded on 8 February 1920 and is an independent organization from the Social Democrats. This allows them to formulate their own policies and make their own campaigns. Prominent Social Democrats beginning their political work in the Social Democratic Youth include prime ministers
Hans Hedtoft
H. C. Hansen
Jens Otto Krag
Anker Jørgensen
and
Mette Frederiksen
, as well as ministers
Per Hækkerup
and
Morten Bødskov
83
84
Frit Forum is the Social Democrats' student organization. It was founded in 1943 in
Copenhagen
. It has since 1973 been organizationally part of Social Democratic Youth. Prominent members previously leading Frit Forum include prime minister
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
and other leaders of the Social Democrats
Mogens Lykketoft
and
Svend Auken
85
86
Notes
edit
Official party letter on voting ballot.
Only 175 of the 179 seats in the Danish Parliament, the
Folketing
, are obtainable by
Danish political parties
as
Greenland
and the
Faroe Islands
are assigned two seats each due to their status as territories in the
Kingdom of Denmark
See also
edit
Denmark portal
Politics portal
Socialism portal
List of political parties in Denmark
Politics of Denmark
References
edit
"Hvor mange medlemmer har de politiske partier?"
(in Danish). Folketinget. 2019.
Archived
from the original on 12 December 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
Mikael Rask Madsen; Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen (24 October 2025).
"Aux Origines Nationalistes De L'État-Providence Danois"
Pouvoirs
(in French) (73).
Social Science Research Network
: 2.
Lots have been written about the nationalist and anti-immigrant turn of centrist social democratic parties in Europe, and perhaps particularly the case of Denmark. The standard account suggests that the Danish Social Democratic Party has increasingly turned to the right to stem and reverse voters turning to more recent nationalist right-wing parties such as the Danish Peoples Party and others.
Jason von Prooijen (August 2025). Han Jeong Hun (ed.).
Impact of National Government Ideology on EU Directive Implementation. A Comparative Study of The Netherlands and Denmark
(Master thesis). Seoul National University. pp.
51–
52.
This party is Venstre's main rival in the Folketing. As the name suggests, the Danish Social Democrats (SD) is a Centre-Left, Social Democrat political party. […] For this reason the party has also been described as left-conservative.
Søren Frank Etzerodt (3 March 2025). Katrin Paula (ed.).
The Political Economy of the Welfare State: Growth, Politics, and Compensation
(Doctor of Political Science thesis). TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. p. 78.
We will continue to show and argue further below that Denmark constitutes a best case for how elections may be decided by the relationship between a pioneering, welfare chauvinist, and gradually more mainstreamed populist right‐wing party and a "left conservative" social democratic party.
Pabst, Adrian (14 November 2023).
"The left's conservative turn"
New Statesman
"Left conservatism" captures the cultural facets. But the fundamental aspect of this turn is an increasing focus on constructive alternatives to the capitalist free market. […] One of the first centre-left politicians to take this small-c conservative turn was the leader of the Danish Social Democrats Mette Frederiksen.
Søren Frank Etzerodt; Kristian Kongshøj (5 March 2022).
"The implosion of radical right populism and the path forward for social democracy: Evidence from the 2019 Danish national election"
Scandinavian Political Studies
45
(3): 281.
doi
10.1111/1467-9477.12225
Denmark is furthermore interesting since it is a case in which the SDP has moved in a "left conservative" direction, and to a large extent adapted to the DPP on immigration. The DPP, meanwhile, is a pioneer of welfare chauvinism and has moved toward the parliamentary mainstream. As we elaborate below, this leads us to argue that Denmark is a best case of potential voter overlaps between a "left conservative" social democratic party, and a mainstreamed, pro‐welfare, populist right‐wing party.
Milne, Richard (10 July 2017).
"Denmark's centre-left seeks common ground with populists"
Financial Times
Archived
from the original on 10 December 2022
. Retrieved
11 May
2020
"Oskar Hansen: "Naar jeg ser et rødt Flag smælde", 1923"
(in Danish).
Archived
from the original on 8 October 2020
. Retrieved
2 October
2020
"AKVA3: Valg til regions råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn"
(in Danish). Statistics Denmark.
Archived
from the original on 5 February 2017
. Retrieved
13 June
2010
"VALGK3: Valg til kommunale råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn"
. Statistics Denmark.
Archived
from the original on 5 February 2017
. Retrieved
13 June
2010
Søren Frank Etzerodt; Kristian Kongshøj (5 March 2022).
"The implosion of radical right populism and the path forward for social democracy: Evidence from the 2019 Danish national election"
Scandinavian Political Studies
45
(3):
279–
300.
doi
10.1111/1467-9477.12225
Axford, Barrie (2021). "Populism in Practice: Causes, Correlates and Crises".
Populism Versus the New Globalization
. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp.
38–
39.
ISBN
978-1-5297-3741-7
Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019).
"Denmark"
Parties and Elections in Europe
Archived
from the original on 1 April 2022
. Retrieved
16 April
2018
Merkel, Wolfgang; Petring, Alexander; Henkes, Christian; Egle, Christoph (2008).
Social Democracy in Power: the capacity to reform
. London: Taylor & Francis.
ISBN
978-0-415-43820-9
"Socialdemokratiet skifter navn"
BT/Ritzau
. 14 September 2002.
Archived
from the original on 16 February 2017
. Retrieved
26 September
2016
Lange, Lasse; Holsten, Erik (24 September 2016).
"Socialdemokratiet laver lille navneændring"
Altinget
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2016
. Retrieved
26 September
2016
12
13
Orange, Richard (11 May 2018).
"Mette Frederiksen: the anti-migrant left leader set to win power in Denmark"
The Guardian
Archived
from the original on 25 September 2022
. Retrieved
12 May
2019
O'Leary, Naomi (6 September 2018).
"Danish left veering right on immigration"
Politico
Archived
from the original on 13 September 2018
. Retrieved
13 September
2018
Hagelskjær, Christian Made (3 March 2017).
"Valgkamp har mange nuancer af rød"
Maerkesag
(in Danish). Archived from
the original
on 9 June 2019
. Retrieved
11 May
2020
Mortensen, Søren (16 September 2014).
"Socialdemokraterne ændrer den røde farve: Her er partiets nye kulør"
B.T.
(in Danish).
Archived
from the original on 21 February 2020
. Retrieved
11 May
2020
Kowalski, Werner (1985).
Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923–1919
. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften (in German). p. 290.
"Parties & Organisations"
. Progressive Alliance.
Archived
from the original on 15 February 2018
. Retrieved
22 July
2019
"Socialdemokraterne – Socialdemokratiet"
(in Danish). Det Kongelige Bibliotek.
Archived
from the original on 14 May 2011
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
"Socialdemokratiet, 1871-"
Danmarkshistorien.dk
Archived
from the original on 19 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Den skjulte forskel"
Kristeligt Dagblad
. 5 February 2005. Archived from
the original
on 18 July 2013
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
"Socialdemokratiet, Verdenskrig og Revolution"
Arbejdermuseet.dk
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
Skou, p. 367.
Mørch, Søren (2002).
24 statsministre: 24 fortællinger om magten i Danmark i det tyvende århundrede og en kort forklaring på, hvor den 25. er blevet af
(in Danish). Copenhagen: Gyldendal. p. 165.
ISBN
9788702003611
Svensson, Palle (January 1974).
"Support for the Danish Social Democratic Party 1924–39 — Growth and Response"
Scandinavian Political Studies
(A9):
127–
146.
doi
10.1111/j.1467-9477.1974.tb00536.x
permanent dead link
"Socialdemokratiet"
Arbejdermuseet.dk
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
Volkesn, Andrea (2004). "Policy Changes of European Social Democrats 1945–98". In Bonoli, Giuliano (ed.).
Social Democratic Party Policies in Contemporary Europe
. Psychology Press.
"Historien om Socialdemokratiet"
Dr.dk
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Socialdemokratiet"
Denstoredanske.lex.dk
Archived
from the original on 25 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Socialdemokraterne – English version – Votes and seats"
. S-dialog.dk.
Archived
from the original on 9 May 2014
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
Lee, William (6 October 2011).
"Denmark's New Government Rolls Back an Anti-Immigrant Legacy"
Time
Archived
from the original on 23 August 2013
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
"Government defends tax deal with opposition"
The Copenhagen Post
. 25 June 2012.
Archived
from the original on 31 May 2013
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
"Helle Thorning-Schmidt: Danes must work more"
Nordic Labour Journal
. 6 October 2011.
Archived
from the original on 26 June 2015
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
Hakim, Danny (30 January 2014).
"Goldman Deal Threatens Danish Government"
The New York Times
Archived
from the original on 10 September 2015
. Retrieved
24 June
2015
"Government on track but off message"
The Copenhagen Post
. 18 May 2012.
Archived
from the original on 31 May 2013
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
"Den utraditionelle socialdemokrat trækker sig"
Archived
28 March 2020 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Danish).
O'Sullivan, Feargus (26 January 2016).
"Denmark Will Strip Refugees of Their Valuables"
CityLab
Archived
from the original on 28 August 2019
. Retrieved
13 June
2019
Larson, Nina (21 January 2016).
"Danish migrant bill blasted at UN"
The Local
Archived
from the original on 31 August 2019
. Retrieved
18 December
2015
Noack, Rick (26 January 2016).
"Denmark wants to seize jewelry and cash from refugees"
The Washington Post
Archived
from the original on 28 August 2019
. Retrieved
18 December
2015
"Danish police use controversial 'jewellery law' 17 times in last six years"
The Local Denmark
. 18 June 2022.
"Danish parliament passes ban on burqa and niqab"
The Local Denmark
. 31 May 2018.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
Ingvorsen, Emil Søndergård (6 June 2019).
"Løkke: Mette Frederiksen udpeget som kongelig undersøger"
(in Danish). DR.
Archived
from the original on 7 June 2019
. Retrieved
16 June
2019
Müller, Thea Deleuran (27 June 2019).
"Danmarks nye regering er nu på plads: Se hele Mette Frederiksens ministerhold her"
(in Danish). DR.
Archived
from the original on 27 June 2019
. Retrieved
28 June
2019
"Denmark's youngest prime minister to lead new government"
. Deutsche Welle. 25 June 2019.
Archived
from the original on 29 June 2019
. Retrieved
27 June
2019
"Social Democrats form government in Denmark"
Politico
. 26 June 2019.
Archived
from the original on 22 September 2022
. Retrieved
31 July
2019
"Denmark gets new left-wing government with plans to increase welfare spending and scrap anti-immigration measures"
The Independent
. 26 June 2019.
Archived
from the original on 12 May 2022
. Retrieved
31 July
2019
"Denmark becomes third Nordic country to form leftist government this year"
The Japan Times
. 26 June 2019.
Archived
from the original on 31 July 2019
. Retrieved
31 July
2019
"Resultater - Hele landet - Folketingsvalg tirsdag 1. november 2022 - Danmarks Statistik"
www.dst.dk
. Retrieved
2 April
2026
Olsen, Jan M. (13 December 2022).
"Danish PM: After weeks of talks, deal on centrist govt"
AP News
. Retrieved
2 April
2026
"In Danimarca i Socialdemocratici hanno vinto, ma non abbastanza"
Il Post
(in Italian). 25 March 2026
. Retrieved
25 March
2026
"Danish PM's party fails to secure majority in weakest showing since 1903"
www.bbc.com
. 25 March 2026
. Retrieved
2 April
2026
"Handen Pa Hjertet"
. Socialdemokratiet. Archived from
the original
on 16 June 2013
. Retrieved
16 November
2013
M. Moghadam, Valentine (2020). "Populisms in the World-System".
Globalization and Social Movements: The Populist Challenge and Democratic Alternatives
(3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 211.
ISBN
9781538108758
Richard Orange (11 May 2019).
"Mette Frederiksen: the anti-immigration left leader set to win power in Denmark"
The Guardian
. Retrieved
8 June
2019
Ehsan, Rakib (17 October 2019).
"Poland and the rise of 'red and blue' politics"
Spiked
Peter J. Katzenstein; Jonathan Kirshner, eds. (2022).
The Downfall of the American Order?
. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. p. 49.
ISBN
9781501763007
Nicolaisen, Mathias Holst (2023).
"From toleration to recognition: explaining change and stability in party responses to the Danish People's Party"
(PDF)
Comparative European Politics
21
(6). Springer: 9, 16.
doi
10.1057/s41295-023-00338-4
Weeks, Ana Catalano; Allen, Peter (2022). "Backlash against "identity politics": far right success and mainstream party attention to identity groups".
Politics, Groups, and Identities
. Taylor & Francis: 13.
doi
10.1080/21565503.2022.2065318
Dostal, Jörg Michael (2025).
"German Social Democracy: Hollowed Out But Still (Almost Always) in Government"
The Political Quarterly
96
(2).
Wiley
: 8.
doi
10.1111/1467-923X.13544
"Denmark's PM Mette Frederiksen, tenacious and tough on migration"
. Agence France-Presse. 25 March 2026
. Retrieved
25 March
2026
Blanc-Noël, Nathalie (2019). "When Governing Is Losing Advantage: Denmark and Finland, Two Opposite Cases of Radical Right Populist Parties' Influence on Policy Making". In Benjamin Biard; Laurent Bernhard; Hans-Georg Betz (eds.).
Do They Make a Difference? The Policy Influence of Radical Right Populist Parties in Western Europe
. Rowman & Littlefield. pp.
67–
72.
ISBN
978-1-78552-330-4
Abou-Chadi, Tarik; Häusermann, Silja; Mitteregger, Reto; Mosimann, Nadja; Wagner, Markus (2024). "Old Left, New Left, Centrist, or Left National? Determinants of Support for Different Social Democratic Programmatic Strategies". In Häusermann, Silja; Kitschelt, Herbert (eds.).
Beyond Social Democracy: The Transformation of the Left in Emerging Knowledge Societies
. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 272.
doi
10.1017/9781009496810.011
ISBN
9781009496810
Bryant, Miranda (24 March 2026).
"Denmark election: far right has slowed under Frederiksen – but at what cost?"
The Guardian
. Retrieved
25 March
2026
Ingimundarson, Valur (2–4 May 2019).
Divided Resistance: The Response of the Left to the Authoritarian and Radical Right
(PDF)
. ASN Convention. New York: Columbia University. pp.
15–
20.
Joffe, Josef
(2019).
"Continental Drift"
(PDF)
Hoover Digest
Leland Stanford Junior University
: 84.
ISSN
1088-5161
Haugbolle, Sune (7 June 2019).
"Did the Left Really Win in Denmark?"
Foreign Policy
McIlhagga, Samuel (25 June 2025).
"The revolution starts in Moseley"
Birmingham Dispatch
Chessum, Michael (16 February 2025).
"Why the left failed"
The New World (British newspaper)
Wiggen, Mette (28 September 2022).
"The normalisation of welfare chauvinism"
Progressive Review
29
(2):
101–
108.
doi
10.1111/newe.12314
Enggist, Matthias (2021).
Welfare Chauvinism – Who Cares? Individual-Level Evidence on the Importance and Politicization of Immigrants' Welfare Entitlements
(PDF)
. Swiss Political Science Association. Zurich: University of Zurich. p. 3.
Wagner, Paulus (2023).
Populism as a Problem of Social Integration How Tension at the Workplace and with the Welfare State Fuels Working-Class Welfare Chauvinism
(PDF)
(Doctorate in Political Science, specialization Comparative Politics thesis). Institut d'études politiques de Paris. p. 2.
Piser, Karina (7 June 2019).
"The European Left's Dangerous Anti-Immigrant Turn"
The Nation
Mikael Rask Madsen; Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen (24 October 2025).
"Aux Origines Nationalistes De L'État-Providence Danois"
Pouvoirs
(in French) (73).
Social Science Research Network
: 2.
"Socialdemokratiets organisation"
Ft.dk
. 7 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 10 June 2018
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Henrik Sass forlader Folketinget og bliver direktør for kapitalfonde"
Altinget.dk
. 18 September 2019.
Archived
from the original on 24 September 2019
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Ida Auken skifter til Socialdemokratiet"
Altinget.dk
. 29 January 2021.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Find et medlem"
Ft.dk
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Danske MEP'er"
Europarl.europa.eu
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Nordisk Råds medlemmer"
Norden.org
Archived
from the original on 29 October 2019
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Om Nordisk Råd"
Norden.org
Archived
from the original on 16 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"DSU's historie"
Dsu.net
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom"
Arbejdermuseet.dk
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Om Frit Forum"
Fritforum.dk
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
"Frit forum"
Leksikon.org
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2021
. Retrieved
20 September
2021
External links
edit
Official website
(in Danish)
Official website
(in English)
Party of European Socialists
European Parliament group:
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Parties
Member states
SPÖ
PS
BSP/БСП
SDP
EDEK/ΕΔΕΚ
SOCDEM
SDE
SDP
PS
PP
SPD
PA.SO.K./ΠΑ.ΣΟ.Κ.
DK
MSZP
Lab
PD
PSI
Saskaņa
LSDP
LSAP
PL
PvdA
NL
PS
PSD
SD
PSOE
SAP
Member parties (non-EU)
AP
Lab
SDLP
Associated parties (EU)
PBSD/БСДП
Hlas-SD
Associated parties (non-EU)
PS
SDP BiH
VV
DPS
SDP
SDSM/СДСМ
DS
SP/PS
CHP
DEM Party
Observer parties (EU)
LSDSP
Observer parties (non-EU)
PS
ARF
ESDP/الديمقراطي
Dem
PDM
USPT
CTP
Fatah/فتح
PSD
SSP
FDTL
Former observer parties (non-EU)
GD
Presidents
Wilhelm Dröscher
Robert Pontillon
Joop den Uyl
Vítor Constâncio
Guy Spitaels
Willy Claes
Rudolf Scharping
Robin Cook
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Sergey Stanishev
Stefan Löfven
Leaders in the
European Parliament
Guy Mollet
Hendrik Fayat
Pierre Lapie
Willi Birkelbach
Käte Strobel
Francis Vals
Georges Spénale
Ludwig Spénale
Ernest Glinne
Rudi Arndt
Jean-Pierre Cot
Pauline Green
Enrique Barón
Martin Schulz
Hannes Swoboda
Gianni Pittella
Udo Bullmann
Iratxe García
European Commissioners (2024–2029)
Glenn Micallef
(Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport)
Dan Jørgensen
(Energy and Housing)
Roxana Mînzatu
(Executive VP for Skills, Education and Culture, Quality Jobs, and Social Rights)
Teresa Ribera
(Executive VP for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition)
Maroš Šefčovič
(Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations, and Transparency)
see
Von der Leyen Commission II
Heads of government
Mette Frederiksen
(Denmark)
Inga Ruginienė
(Lithuania)
Robert Abela
(Malta)
Pedro Sánchez
(Spain)
Keir Starmer
(United Kingdom)
Heads of state
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
(Germany)
George Vella
(Malta)
Zoran Milanović
(Croatia)
Political parties in Denmark
Bracketed numbers indicate numbers of seats in the respective parliaments.
Folketing
Government
Social Democrats
(38)
Venstre
(18)
Moderates
(14)
Opposition
Green Left
(20)
Liberal Alliance
(16)
Danish People's Party
(16)
Conservative People's Party
(13)
Red–Green Alliance
(11)
Danish Social Liberal Party
(10)
Denmark Democrats
(10)
The Alternative
(5)
Citizens' Party
(4)
Faroe Islands
Social Democratic Party
(1)
(provide support)
Union Party
(1)
(provide support)
Greenland
Inuit Ataqatigiit
(1)
Naleraq
(1)
European Parliament
Green Left
(3)
Social Democrats
(3)
Venstre
(2)
Conservative People's Party
(1)
Denmark Democrats
(1)
Danish Social Liberal Party
(1)
Red-Green Alliance
(1)
Liberal Alliance
(1)
Danish People's Party
(1)
Moderates
(1)
Formerly represented
Society of the Friends of Peasants
National Liberal Party
Højre
Tscherning's Venstre
Hansen's Venstre
Mellempartiet
National Venstre
People's Venstre
United Venstre
Bjørnbakske Venstre
Independent Venstre
Venstre of the Folketing
Moderate Venstre
Højre
Clear Venstre
Free Conservatives
Venstre Reform Party
Industry Party
Farmers' Party
National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark
Danish Unity
Capital's Venstre
Peace Politics People's Party
Schleswig Party
Independent Party
Liberal Centre
Communist Party of Denmark
Justice Party
Left Socialists
Free Democrats
Common Course
Progress Party
Centre Democrats
Freedom 2000
Christian Democrats
June Movement
People's Movement against the EU
Forward
Independent Greens
New Right
Politics of Denmark
, the
Faroe Islands
and
Greenland
Portal:Politics
List of political parties by country
Social democracy
History
Age of Enlightenment
Frankfurt Declaration
French Revolution
Godesberg Program
Humanism
Internationalist–defencist schism
Keynesianism
Labor movement
Marxism
Orthodox
Revisionist
Nordic model
Reformist–revolutionary dispute
Socialism
Revolutions of 1848
Utopian socialism
Concepts
Civil liberties
Democracy
Economic
Industrial
Representative
Marxist
Dirigisme
Environmentalism
Environmental protection
Fair trade
Gradualism
Internationalism
Labor rights
Land reform
Left-wing nationalism
Mixed economy
Nationalization
Negative and positive rights
Progressivism
Reformism
Left
Socialism
Revolutionary socialism
Secularism
Social corporatism
Social justice
Social market economy
Socialist state
Socialism
Trade union
Tripartisme
Welfare
Welfare state
Variants
Democratic socialism
Ethical socialism
Evolutionary socialism
Liberal socialism
Socialism of the 21st century
Third Way
Personal
Allendism
Bevanism
Blairism
Brownism
Craxism
Ecevitism
Figuerism
Gaitskellism
Kirchnerism
Radicales K
Lulism
Mosaddeghism
People
Allende
Ardern
Attlee
Awolowo
Bebel
Ben-Gurion
Berger
Bernstein
Betancourt
Bhutto
Blair
Brandt
Branting
Brown
Callaghan
Cárdenas
Clark
Craxi
Crosland
Curtin
Daszyński
Douglas
Drees
Ebert
Ecevit
Engels
Erlander
Fraser
Gaitskell
Gandhi
Gerhardsen
González
Goulart
Hardie
Hilferding
Hook
İnönü
Jaurès
Jenkins
Junmai
Katayama
Kerensky
Kirk
Lagos
Layton
Lévesque
MacDonald
Mandela
Marx
Mosaddegh
Nehru
Palme
Prodi
Sánchez
Sanders
Savage
Scholz
Stauning
Den Uyl
Vail
Webb
Whitlam
Wilson
Organizations
International Trade Union Confederation
International Union of Socialist Youth
Party of European Socialists
Progressive Alliance
Socialist International
Young European Socialists
By region
Austria
Germany
United States
Related
Communism
The Internationale
Socialism
Types of socialism
Economics portal
Politics portal
Socialism portal
Authority control databases
International
ISNI
VIAF
GND
National
United States
Czech Republic
Norway
Other
Yale LUX
Retrieved from "
Categories
Social Democrats (Denmark)
1871 establishments in Denmark
Members of the Labour and Socialist International
Centre-left parties in Europe
Party of European Socialists member parties
Political parties established in 1871
Progressive Alliance
Second International parties
Social democratic parties in Europe
Socialist parties in Denmark
Hidden categories:
Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
CS1 Danish-language sources (da)
CS1 French-language sources (fr)
All articles with dead external links
Articles with dead external links from March 2024
Articles with permanently dead external links
Webarchive template wayback links
CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
Articles with short description
Short description matches Wikidata
Use dmy dates from March 2020
Articles containing Danish-language text
Pages with Danish IPA
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from February 2007
Articles with Danish-language sources (da)
Social Democrats (Denmark)
Add topic