COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday called an early general election for March 24, as the country digests a standoff with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has designs on Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
Voters in the Scandinavian country, a NATO and European Union member, will determine who sits in the Folketing, or parliament. It has 179 seats — 175 of which go to lawmakers representing Denmark and two apiece to lawmakers from Greenland and the kingdom's other semiautonomous territory, the Faroe Islands.
“It is now up to you, the voters, to decide what direction Denmark will take over the next four years. And I am looking forward to it,” Frederiksen, 48, said as she made her announcement in parliament.
The US-Greenland crisis has dominated Danish politics for months
Trump’s push for U.S. control of Greenland, which culminated in his short-lived threat last month to impose new tariffs on Denmark and several other European countries, was a major challenge for the Danish government over the past year.
Frederiksen likely hopes that her handling of the Greenland crisis, in which she appeared straight-talking and tough, will give her a boost with Danish voters. Last month, she warned that an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.
Polls also show a bump in the popularity of the prime minister’s Social Democrats during recent weeks which were dominated by the looming Greenland crisis.
Some Danish citizens have been so upset with the U.S. president’s frequent talks about seizing Greenland that they participated in protests and even boycotted American goods in supermarkets.
After Trump backed down on his Greenland threats last month, the U.S., Denmark and Greenland started technical talks on an Arctic security deal.
Still, the prime minister made clear earlier this month that she remains wary about the Greenland issue. Asked at the Munich Security Conference whether the crisis had passed, she replied: “No, unfortunately not. I think the desire from the U.S. president is exactly the same. He is very serious about this theme.”
Domestically Frederiksen is known for her strict migration policies
Frederiksen, a center-left Social Democrat, has become known for her strict immigration policies, which are among the toughest in Europe.
Last month, her government unveiled a legal reform allowing the deportation of foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year of unconditional imprisonment for serious crimes Years before other countries on the continent tried to outsource asylum request procedures to third countries or set up so-called “return hubs” for rejected asylum seekers outside the European Union, Fredriksen pitched such ideas.
A general election must be held at least every four years but the prime minister can call one at any time. The last election was held on Nov. 1, 2022, and resulted in a three-party coalition that crosses the left-right divide.
Frederiksen has led Denmark since 2019
Frederiksen has led Denmark since mid-2019. She currently heads a government with the Liberal Party of Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and the centrist Moderate party of Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, a former prime minister. If she gets re-elected, it would be her third term.
As she announced the election on Thursday, Frederiksen said in parliament: “This will be a crucial election for us, because in the next four years, we as Danes and as Europeans will really have to stand on our own two feet."
"We must define our relationship with the US. We must arm ourselves to ensure peace on our continent. We must keep Europe together," she added referring to Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year.
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Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Associated Press journalist Geir Moulson, also in Berlin, contributed.
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