Denmark‘s Green Left party (SF) has formally entered into the country’s new coalition government, following its strong performance in March’s general elections.
In the elections, the Green Left earned 20 seats – an increase of five – to position it as the second-biggest party after Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats. Led by Pia Olsen Dyhr, it will hold five ministerial positions in the new coalition government.
Policy proposals
“This will be Denmark’s greenest government ever,” commented European Green Party co-chair Ciarán Cuffe. “We already see the Green fingerprints in the government proposals to bring solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, with removing VAT on fruits and vegetables, investing in public services such as schools and daycare, and offering free public transport to young people.”
Fellow co-chair Vula Tsetsi added that the party’s entry into government reflected wider electoral momentum for Green parties across Europe. “There is a clear appetite among voters to put social welfare, climate and environmental action back at the top of the political agenda. Europeans support the strategy to invest in renewables to secure European energy independence,” she said.
“People are choosing a future that protects their health, their environment, and their economy. The Danish success confirms strong recent results for Green parties across Europe.”
Denmark’s Green Left also achieved strong results in Denmark’s local elections last November, where Sisse Marie Welling was named Lord Mayor of Copenhagen.
European success
At a European level, the Greens also pointed to the performance of GroenLinks-PvdA in Dutch local elections, where it secured the highest nationwide vote share and came out on top in in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and several other major cities.
In the UK, meanwhile, the Green Party of England and Wales and the Scottish Greens both recorded their strongest election results to date, while Alliance 90/The Greens in Germany secured a regional victory in Baden-Württemberg, beating the CDU party of Germany Chancellor Merz.
The Green Left has been a full member of the European Green Party since 2014.
The European Green Party said the Danish coalition demonstrates continued public backing for policies linking climate action with economic and social priorities, particularly during a period of energy market uncertainty across Europe. Read more here.
