Denmark's Frederiksen, a Trump critic, likely to hold onto power despite weak election result

Frederiksen's party had its worst result in a century. The leader made headlines for standing up to Trump over the fate of Greenland, a Danish territory

Published: March 25, 2026 3:14am

Updated: March 25, 2026 3:15am

Left-wing Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who earned global headlines amid her standoff with President Donald Trump over the fate of Greenland, a Danish protectorate, lost ground in the country’s general election Tuesday, though she is likely to hold onto power.

Frederiksen's Social Democrats saw their share of the vote drop to 21.9 percent from 27.6 percent in 2022. The party remained the country’s largest, but it lost 12 seats in parliament, with just 38 of the 90 needed for a majority. It was the party’s worse performance in more than a century.

After the election, the Social Democrats’ bloc with parties further to its left will no longer be enough to form a majority, meaning the party will have to invite at least one centrist party into the fold

Frederiksen had led her country through several major crises even before the standoff over Greenland, including the country’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline near Danish territorial waters. But polls show voters were most concerned over day-to-day issues like trade and the cost of living.

 

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