Danish election could pave the way for a centrist government

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark's election on Tuesday is expected to change its political landscape, with new parties hoping to enter parliament and others seeing their support dwindle. A former prime minister who left his party to create a new one this year could end up as a kingmaker, with his votes being needed to form a new government.

Neither the center-left nor the center-right is likely to capture a majority, which is 90 seats in the 179-seat Folketing. That could leave former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in the pivotal role as he seeks to bridge the center.

When announcing the election in October — seven months before the end of her four-year term — Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she wanted “a broad government with parties on both sides of the political middle.” She stressed that Denmark — like the rest of Europe — is going through tough times and lawmakers need to stand together.

The announcement came when an ally of her minority, one-party Social Democratic government threatened to topple Frederiksen with a confidence vote. The center-left Social Liberals were critical of her government’s handling of the 2020 decision to wipe out Denmark’s entire captive mink population at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to protect humans from a mutation of the virus.

The culling led to strong controversy and to a minister's resignation. The needed legislation was put in place more than a month after the cull had started, and a parliament-appointed commission eventually criticized the government, saying Frederiksen had been “grossly misleading.”

Frederiksen said she didn’t know the culling decision was unlawful, but the Social Liberal Party maintained its ultimatum: hold a new election or face a confidence vote.

More than 4 million voters in the...