Denmark: Frederiksen faces vote
Parliamentary elections are due to take place in Denmark on Tuesday. Mette Frederiksen, the Social Democratic Prime Minister, has been leading a centre-left coalition – an unusual arrangement for the country – since the end of 2022. Her recent success in fending off US ambitions regarding Greenland earned her international respect. Local commentators, however, are more focused on taxes and education policy.
A test for applied social democracy
Aftonbladet sees Frederiksen as a role model for leaders of other countries:
“The Swedish left should take inspiration from Mette Frederiksen. The role of a social democratic prime minister is not to keep the upper classes happy but to ensure that the country works for those who cannot afford to send their children to posh private schools. ... Above all, Frederiksen has shown that social democracy has genuine ambitions to bring about change. Tomorrow we will see whether that's what the voters want.”
Outdated lefty agenda
Berlingske has no time for the Social Democrats' proposals:
“Their desire to raise taxes goes hand-in-hand with an endless wish list involving pumping more cash into the public sector, so we can look forward to some truly turbulent budget negotiations if Denmark does end up with a radical red government. ... With her key campaign promises on a wealth tax, 'Lilleskole,' [the alternative school] and earlier retirement, Mette Frederiksen has adopted an old-school leftist agenda that harks back to the 1970s. If she gets into power with this red block, we can expect a lot more pressure in this direction.”