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Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announces |
Opinion polls over the past year have shown Rasmussen is likely to face a tough challenge from the Social Democrat-led opposition, which hopes to regain power after a 10-year break.
A general election had been due by mid-November but Rasmussen, leader of the Liberal party, exercised his right to set an earlier date at just three weeks’ notice.
“The Liberal Party and the Conservatives go into the election to get a renewed mandate to secure and maintain healthy public finances in a world marked by turmoil and debt crises,” Rasmussen told a news conference.
He said he chose to hold elections in September so that parliament could get to work on legislation for economic reforms at the start of the new parliamentary year in October.
“In the midst of a worldwide debt crisis, the Danes are left with a clear choice: uncontrolled debt or permanent welfare,” said Rasmussen, who has been premier since April 2009, heading a centre-right minority government with the Conservatives.
“We have a long-term budget for Denmark, so we do not end up in a debt trap,” he said. “There is a straight line from uncontrolled debt to less welfare.”
Fresh opinion polls on Friday showed the opposition “Red bloc” still ahead, but its lead narrowing, suggesting the race will be very close, analysts said.
A poll for the Ritzau newswire indicated that the “Red bloc” would win 96 seats in parliament, the Folketing, against 79 for the governing “Blue bloc”. The survey was conducted Aug. 18-25.
According to the average of four recent polls, the Red bloc would win 52.4% of the vote against 47.1% for Rasmussen’s Blue bloc.
Lars Ronn, a 69-year-old school inspector on a Copenhagen street, said he would vote for the Left: “I don’t necessarily think things will be significantly better, because the options are pretty limited, I just think we need some new heads.”
Talks between the government and the populist Danish People’s Party on a $2.1bn growth package broke off yesterday, a development that some felt tipped Rasmussen into calling the election.
“The whole country asked for a quick election,” said Thomas Larsen, political columnist at the daily Berlingske Tidende. “We have had rumours of an election for months now, and the pressure built up so much that he (Rasmussen) had to push the button.”
The Liberal-Conservative coalition has governed since 2001 with support from the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party led by Pia Kjaersgaard. But strains are showing after Rasmussen said recently he would not let the DPP into government.
Kjaersgaard has said she would support another Rasmussen government despite his stand.
“In contrast to all the elections from 2001, this campaign will be strictly focused on the economy under the influence of the financial crisis that has hit Denmark,” said Larsen.
The economy slid back into recession in the first quarter, putting Denmark among Europe’s laggards.
Economists widely expect second-quarter GDP data at the end of the month to show the economy is recovering, but the government cut its forecast for growth this year to 1.3% on Wednesday from an earlier projection of 1.9%.
Rasmussen’s main challenger, Social Democrat leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt and her chief ally, Socialist People’s Party leader Villy Sovndal, hope to form a majority coalition after a decade of minority government rule.
“The elections give Danes a chance to set a new course for Denmark,” said Thorning-Schmidt who will become Denmark’s first woman prime minister if her party and allies win.
“The Social Democrats are campaigning on Denmark moving on, from deadlock to growth, from bloc politics to cooperation, from cutbacks to investments, from division to unity,” she said.
Margrethe Vestager, leader of the centrist Social-Liberal Party which has often played a kingmaker role in the past, reiterated on TV2 News that she still backs Thorning-Schmidt to become the next prime minister.
The prime minister’s party had hoped to dislodge the Social-Liberals from the leftist camp and gain a key ally. Reuters