Social Democrats (Denmark)

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox political party The Social Democrats (Template:Langx Template:IPA, Template:Lit, S) is a social democratic<ref name="Nordsieck">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Merkel">Template:Cite book</ref> political party in Denmark. A member of the Party of European Socialists, the Social Democrats have 50 out of 179 members of the Danish parliament (following the latest Danish general election held in 2022), Folketing, and three out of fourteen MEPs elected from Denmark.

Founded by Louis Pio in 1871, the party first entered the Folketing in the 1884 Danish Folketing election. By the early 20th century, it had become the party with the largest representation in the Folketing, a distinction it would hold for 77 years. It first formed a government after the 1924 Danish Folketing election under Thorvald Stauning, the longest-serving Danish Prime Minister of the 20th century. During Stauning's government which lasted until the 1926 Danish Folketing election, the Social Democrats exerted a profound influence on Danish society, laying the foundation of the Danish welfare state. From 2002 to 2016, the party used the name Socialdemokraterne in some contexts.Template:Refn The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International from 1923 to 1940. A member of the Socialist International until 2017, the party withdrew to join the Progressive Alliance, founded in 2013.

The party was the major coalition partner in government from the 2011 Danish general election until the 2015 Danish general election, with then-party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt as Prime Minister. After losing power in the 2015 election, Thorning-Schmidt was succeeded as party leader on 28 June 2015 by the former Vice Leader Mette Frederiksen, who shifted the party back to the political left on economics, while criticising mass immigration.<ref name="The Guardian">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Politico">Template:Cite web</ref> Frederiksen led the party to win the 2019 and 2022 Danish general election, forming a single-party minority government from 2019 to 2022 and a majority grand-coalition government with the centre-right Venstre and the centrist Moderates since 2022.

Overview

The party traces its own history back to the International Labour Association, founded in 1871 and banned in 1873, loosely re-organised in the Social Democratic Labour Party which in 1876 issued the Gimle program, but as a formal political party it was first founded from 11–12 February 1878 as the Social Democratic Federation. This name was formally carried by the party for almost a hundred years, although in practice it also used a number of other names until it changed its name to Social Democracy in 1965. At a congress in Aalborg in 2002, the party changed its name to the Social Democrats, but from 2016 again only Social Democracy is used.<ref name="name1"/><ref name="name2"/>

The party has the letter A as a symbol, but the abbreviation S is often used in the media. The party's classic symbol is a red rose and in recent times an A in a red circle. Aside from the classical socialist red colour,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the party has recently adopted a more light red colour called competition orange.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940.<ref>Kowalski, Werner (1985). Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923–1919. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften (in German). p. 290.</ref> It is now a member of the Progressive Alliance, an association of progressive social-democratic parties.<ref name="PA">Template:Cite web</ref> The Social Democrats are also a member of the Party of European Socialists while the party's MEPs sit in the Socialists & Democrats group.

History

19th century

File:Louis Pio.jpg
Socialist pioneer Louis Pio, founder and first leader of the Social Democrats (1871–1872) and 1875–1877)

The party was founded as the International Labour Association of Denmark on 15 October 1871 by Louis Pio, Harald Brix and Paul Geleff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The goal was to organise the emerging working class on a democratic and socialist basis. The industrialisation of Denmark had begun in the mid-19th century and a period of rapid urbanisation had led to an emerging class of urban workers. The social-democratic movement emerged from the desire to give this group political rights and representation in the Folketing, the Danish parliament. In 1876, the party held an annual conference, adopting the first party manifesto.<ref name="Danmarkshistorien">Template:Cite web</ref>

The stated policy was as follows: Template:Blockquote

In 1884, the party had their first two members of parliament elected, namely Peter Thygesen Holm and Chresten Hørdum.

20th century

File:Stauning eller Kaos.jpg
Thorvald Stauning, the party's first Prime Minister (1924–1926 and 1929–1942) on his 1935 Stauning or Chaos election poster

In 1906, the party created the Social Democratic Youth Association, lasting until 1920 when the Social Democratic Youth of Denmark and current party's youth wing was founded.

In the 1924 Danish Folketing election, the party won the majority with 36.6 percent of the vote and its first government was put in place with Thorvald Stauning as Prime Minister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year, he appointed Nina Bang as the world's first female minister, nine years after women's suffrage had been given in Denmark. Stauning stayed in power until his death in 1942, with his party laying the foundations for the Danish welfare state based on a close collaboration between labor unions and the government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 1933, Stauning's government entered into what was then the most extensive settlement yet in Danish politics, namely the Kanslergade settlement (Template:Langx) with the liberal party Venstre.<ref>Skou, p. 367.</ref> The settlement was named after Stauning's apartment in Kanslergade in Copenhagen and included extensive agricultural subsidies and reforms of the legislation and administration in the social sector.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1935, Stauning was reelected with the famous slogan "Stauning or Chaos".<ref>Template:Cite journalTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Stauning's second cabinet lasted until the Nazi occupation of Denmark in 1940, when the cabinet was widened to include all political parties for a national unity government and the Danish government pursued a collaborative policy with the German occupiers. Through the 1940s and until 1972, most of Denmark's Prime Ministers were from the party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen government coalition: 1993–2001

File:Socialdemokratiet1945.jpg
Social Democrats election poster for the October 1945 general election

The Social Democrats' social policy through the 1990s and continuing in the 21st century involved a significant redistribution of income and the maintenance of a large state apparatus with collectively financed core public services such as public healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Social Democrats-led coalition governments (the I, II, III and IV Cabinets of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen) implemented the system known as flexicurity (flexibility and social security), mixing strong Scandinavian unemployment benefits with deregulated employment laws, making it easier for employers to fire and rehire people in order to encourage economic growth and reduce unemployment.<ref>Volkesn, Andrea (2004). "Policy Changes of European Social Democrats 1945–98". In Bonoli, Giuliano (ed.). Social Democratic Party Policies in Contemporary Europe. Psychology Press.</ref><ref name="Danmarkshistorien" />

The Cabinets of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen maintained a parliamentary majority during the period from 1993 to 2001 by virtue of their support from the Socialist People's Party and the Red–Green Alliance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Towards the end of the 1990s, a trade surplus of 30 billion kroner (US$4.9 billion) turned into a deficit.Template:Citation needed To combat this, the government increased taxes, limiting private consumption. The 1998 initiative, dubbed the Whitsun Packet (Danish: Pinsepakken) from the season it was issued, was not universally popular with the electorate; it may have also been a factor in the Social Democrats' defeat in the 2001 Danish general election.

In opposition: 2001–2011

After being defeated by the Liberal Party in the 2001 Danish general election, the party chairmanship went to former finance and foreign minister Mogens Lykketoft. Following another defeat in the 2005 Danish general election, Lykketoft announced his resignation as party leader and at an extraordinary congress on 12 March it was decided that all members of the party would cast votes in an election of a new party leader. The two contenders for the leadership represented the two wings in the party, with Helle Thorning-Schmidt being viewed as centrist and Frank Jensen being viewed as slightly more left-leaning. On 12 April 2005, Thorning-Schmidt was elected as the new leader.<ref name="DenStoreDanske">Template:Cite web</ref>

Helle Thorning-Schmidt government coalition: 2011–2015

In the 2011 Danish general election, the Social Democrats gained 44 seats in parliament, the lowest number since 1953.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nonetheless, the party succeeded in establishing a minority government with the Danish Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party. The incumbent centre-right coalition led by the Liberal Party lost power to a centre-left coalition led by the Social Democrats, making Thorning-Schmidt the country's first female prime minister. The Danish Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party became part of the three-party centre-left coalition government. The new parliament convened on 4 October. The government rolled back anti-immigration legislation enacted by the previous government<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and passed a tax-reform with support from the liberal-conservative opposition.<ref name="ThorningTaxreform"/> The tax reform raised the top tax threshold, which had previously applied to over half the working population. The aim of the tax reform was to increase labour output to fend off a projected labour shortage within the next decades. The stated goal was to entice Danes to work more in order to compensate for the decreasing workforce by lowering tax on wages and gradually lowering welfare payments to those outside of the labour market to increase the economic benefit of working relative to receiving welfare.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

On 3 February 2014, the Socialist People's Party left the government in protest over the sale of shares in the public energy company DONG Energy to the investment bank Goldman Sachs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Because of the government's minority status and of its dependency on the support of the Danish Social Liberal Party, the government had to jettison many of the policies that the Social Democrats–Socialist People's Party coalition had given during the campaign. Although critics have accused the government of breaking its promises, other studies argue that it accomplished half of its stated goals, blaming instead poor public relations strategies for its increasingly negative public image.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The government pursued a centrist compromise agenda, building several reforms with support from both sides of the parliament. This caused friction with the supporting Red–Green Alliance, who were kept outside of influencing decisions.<ref name="ThorningTaxreform">Template:Cite web</ref>

In opposition: 2015–2019

In the 2015 Danish general election, the Social Democrats gained seats and became the biggest party in the parliament again since 2001, yet lost the government because the right-wing parties had a majority. The results of the 2015 election and the defeat of the left-bloc led Thorning-Schmidt to resign as prime minister on election night and making way for the next leader Mette Frederiksen.<ref>"Den utraditionelle socialdemokrat trækker sig" Template:Webarchive (in Danish).</ref> Under Frederiksen, the Social Democrats voted in favor of a law allowing Danish authorities to confiscate money, jewellery and other valuable items refugees crossing the border may have as long as those valuables have no sentimental value,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> despite harsh condemnation from the United Nations Human Right Council<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and widespread comparisons between the plan and the treatment of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The law had been used 17 times in the first six years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Similarly, the Social Democrats voted for a law banning wearing of burqas and niqabs, while abstaining during a vote on a law on mandatory handshakes irrespective of religious sentiment at citizenship ceremonies and on a plan to house criminal asylum seekers on an island used for researching contagious animal diseases. Frederiksen has also backed the right-wing populist Danish People's Party in their paradigm shift push to make repatriation rather than social integration the goal of asylum policy. She has called for a cap on non-Western immigrants, expulsion of asylum seekers to a reception centre in North Africa and forced labour for immigrants in exchange for benefits. Labeling foreign policies of Europe as too economic liberal, Frederiksen has criticised other social democratic parties for losing their voters' trust by failing to prevent globalisation chipping away at labour rights, increasing inequality and exposing them to uncontrolled immigration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2019–present: Frederiksen I and II

Template:Update section

File:Mette Frederiksen Kööpenhaminassa 4.5.2022 (52049397038) (cropped).jpg
Current leader of the Social Democrats and Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen

In the 2019 Danish general election, the Social Democrats gained one further seat and the opposition red bloc of left-wing and centre-left parties (the Social Democrats, the Danish Social Liberal Party, the Socialist People's Party and the Red–Green Alliance along with the Faroese Social Democratic Party and Greenland's Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut) won a majority of 93 out of 179 seats in the Folketing while support for the Danish People's Party and the Liberal Alliance collapsed, costing Lars Løkke Rasmussen his majority. With the result beyond doubt on election night, Rasmussen conceded defeat and Frederiksen has been commissioned by Queen Margrethe II to lead the negotiations to form a new government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 27 June 2019, Frederiksen was successful in forming the Frederiksen Cabinet, an exclusively Social Democrats minority government supported by the red bloc, becoming the second woman in the role after Thorning-Schmidt as well as the youngest prime minister in Danish history at the age of 41.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite having run on an anti-immigration stance during the election, Frederiksen shifted her stance on immigration by allowing more foreign labour and reversing government plans to hold foreign criminals offshore after winning government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Platform

Template:Social democracy sidebar Since its foundation, the motto of the party has been "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" and these values are still described as central in the party program. In the political program, these values are described as being consistent with a focus on solidarity with the poorest and social welfare to those who need it, with individual responsibility in relation to other members in society and with an increased involvement in the European Union project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As well as adopting more left-leaning economics, the party has become increasingly sceptical of immigration from the late 2010s. The party believes that immigration has had negative consequences for much of the population, a more pressing issue since at least 2001 after the 11 September attacks which intensified during the 2015 European migrant crisis. It also returned to a more sceptical view of economic liberalism, arguing that its adherence to Third Way politics, its application of centrist, neoliberal economics, and supporting unrestricted economic globalisation contributed to the party's poor electoral performance in the late 2000s and early 2010s.<ref name="The Guardian"/><ref name="Politico"/>

The party is described as anti-globalization, anti-immigrant, and critical of Islam. According to the party, Muslim immigrants do not respect the Danish judicial system, Muslim women abstain from working for religious reason, and they are also subject to "massive social control" in their immigrant communities.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In a biography written before becoming the prime minister in 2019, Mette Frederiksen wrote: "For me, it is becoming increasingly clear that the price of unregulated globalisation, mass immigration and the free movement of labour is paid for by the lower classes."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Frederiksen combined opposition to immigration and support for social cohesion with criticism of globalization, wealth inequality and erosion of workers' rights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Economist Mark Blyth wrote that under Frederiksen, the Danish Social Democrats have "torn up the neoliberal rule book" in favor of combining increased government spending with immigration controls.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The party had factions that promoted anti-immigration policies since the 1980s, but it was Mette Frederiksen that completed the party's right-turn on immigration. Since then, Social Democrats have been supporting strict controls of immigration, arguing that it is integral to "a new class struggle" as it protects the national culture, rural communities and the working-class identities of Denmark.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The party's proposals include expulsion of asylum seekers, a cap on non-Western immigration, and a requirement for immigrants to work at least 37 hours per week before being given a right to social and welfare benefits.<ref name="axford"/> It links immigration to sexual violence, trafficking and erosion of Danish culture.<ref name="catalano">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Social Democrats also adopted a conservative stance on cultural diversity, supporting repatriation rather than integration, postulating a ban on burqas and niqabs, and voting in favour of a law allowing Danish authorities to confiscate valuable items from refugees crossing the border.<ref name="axford">Template:Cite book</ref> It also implemented a ban on room prayers in schools, strict requirements for family reunions, and a "ghetto plan", where immigrant areas designated as "ghettos" were given special regulation such as doubled punishments for certain crimes, easier access to personal information of residents for state authorities, and obligatory day care institutions for children (with non-attendance resulting in welfare grants cuts).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The party is considered to have "moved strongly to the center" on other cultural issues;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> it makes no mention of gender and racial equality in its ideological declarations.<ref name="catalano"/>

These stances were compared to the ones of radical right parties - Valur Ingimundarson of the University of Iceland wrote that the Social Democrats "have revised their immigration policy in such a radical way that it echoes many of the core tenets of the right-wing Danish People's Party", and that they "embraced the anti-immigration and anti-refugee stance of the populist right."<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref> Josef Joffe described the party's new stance as a combination of "harsh anti-immigrant — but generous social - policy", and argued that by adopting such platform, the Danish Social Democrats have "put on rightish clothes".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Foreign Policy argues that the party has "adopted the far-right's anti-immigration stance", noting that the Social Democrats reject the United Nations annual quota of refugees resettled, support prison sentences for immigrant parents who take their children on extended visits to their home country, closing asylum centers, advocating detaining asylum seekers offshore and establishing facilities in North African countries instead.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since then, the party is described as a "left conservative" social democratic party, as it "places itself to the left on issues related to welfare and redistribution, and right on cultural and value‐related issues".<ref name="etzerodt">Template:Cite journal</ref> Its ideology was also described as a combination of "populism, socialism and cultural conservatism",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Social Democrats have been compared to the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, a German 'left-conservative' party that split from Die Linke.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party has also been described as welfare chauvinist,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="enggist">Template:Cite conference</ref><ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> and nativist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political leadership

The current Party Leader is Mette Frederiksen. She succeeded Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who stepped down after the left bloc's defeat in the 2015 Danish general election. Deputy Party Leaders are Lennart Damsbo-Andersen and Christian Rabjerg Madsen. The Secretary General is Annette Lind.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Prime ministers

Template:See also

Leaders of the Social Democrats

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Election results

The Social Democrats governed Denmark for most of the 20th century, with a few intermissions such as the Conservative People's Party-led government of Poul Schlüter in the 1980s. It continued to be Denmark's largest party until 2001 when Anders Fogh Rasmussen's liberal Venstre party gained a landslide victory, becoming the largest party and forming a centre-right government. From 2015 and onwards, The Social Democrats have again been the largest party in Denmark. The Social Democrats returned to government from 2011 to 2015 and since 2019.

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Parliament

Folketing
Year Votes % ± pp Seats +/– Rank Result
1884 7,000 4.9 New Template:Composition bar New 3rd Template:No2
1887 8,000 3.5 Template:Decrease 1.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Steady 3rd Template:No2
1890 17,000 7.3 Template:Increase 3.8 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 3rd Template:No2
1892 20,000 8.9 Template:Increase 1.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Decrease 4th Template:No2
1895 24,510 11.3 Template:Increase 2.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 6 Template:Steady 4th Template:No2
1898 31,870 14.2 Template:Increase 2.9 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 4 Template:Steady 4th Template:No2
1901 38,398 17.8 Template:Increase 3.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Increase 3rd Template:No2
1903 48,117 21.0 Template:Increase 3.2 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 3rd Template:No2
1906 76,612 25.4 Template:Increase 4.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 8 Template:Increase 2nd Template:No2
1909 93,079 29.0 Template:Increase 3.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:Increase 1st Template:Partial2
1910 98,718 28.3 Template:Decrease 0.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:Decrease 2nd Template:No2
1913 107,365 29.6 Template:Increase 1.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 8 Template:Increase 1st Template:Partial2
1915 1,134 8.8 Template:Decrease 20.8 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:Decrease 3rd Template:Partial2
1918 262,796 28.7 Template:Increase 19.9 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 7 Template:Increase 2nd Template:Partial2
1920
(April)
300,345 29.2 Template:Increase 0.5 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3 Template:Steady 2nd Caretaker government
1920
(July)
285,166 29.8 Template:Increase 0.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
1920
(September)
389,653 32.2 Template:Increase 2.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 6 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
1924 469,949 36.6 Template:Increase 4.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 7 Template:Increase 1st Template:Yes2
1926 497,106 37.2 Template:Increase 6.0 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1929 593,191 41.8 Template:Increase 4.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 8 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1932 660.839 42.7 Template:Increase 0.9 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1935 759,102 46.4 Template:Increase 3.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 6 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1939 729,619 42.9 Template:Decrease 3.5 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 4 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1943 894,632 44.5 Template:Increase 1.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1945 671,755 32.8 Template:Decrease 11.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 18 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1947 836,231 41.2 Template:Increase 8.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 9 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1950 813,224 39.6 Template:Decrease 1.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1953
(April)
836,507 40.4 Template:Increase 0.8 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1953
(September)
894,913 41.3 Template:Increase 0.9 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 13 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1957 910,170 39.4 Template:Increase 1.9 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 4 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1960 1,023,794 42.1 Template:Increase 2.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 6 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1964 1,103,667 41.9 Template:Decrease 0.2 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1966 1,068,911 38.2 Template:Decrease 3.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 7 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1968 974,833 34.2 Template:Decrease 4.0 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 7 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1971 1,074,777 37.3 Template:Increase 3.1 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 8 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1973 783,145 25.6 Template:Decrease 11.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 24 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1975 913,155 29.9 Template:Increase 4.0 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 7 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1977 1,150,355 37.0 Template:Increase 7.1 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 12 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2 Template:Small
Template:Yes2 Template:Small
1979 1,213,456 38.3 Template:Increase 1.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1981 1,026,726 32.9 Template:Decrease 5.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 9 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2 Template:Small
Template:No2 Template:Small
1984 1,062,561 31.6 Template:Decrease 1.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 3 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1987 985,906 29.3 Template:Decrease 2.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1988 992,682 29.8 Template:Decrease 0.5 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2
1990 1,221,121 37.4 Template:Increase 7.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 14 Template:Steady 1st Template:No2 Template:Small
Template:Yes2 Template:Small
1994 1,150,048 34.6 Template:Decrease 2.8 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 7 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
1998 1,223,620 35.9 Template:Increase 1.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
2001 1,003,023 29.1 Template:Decrease 6.8 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 11 Template:Decrease 2nd Template:No2
2005 867,350 25.8 Template:Decrease 3.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 5 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
2007 881,037 25.5 Template:Decrease 0.3 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 2 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
2011 879,615 24.8 Template:Decrease 0.7 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Steady 2nd Template:Yes2
2015 925,288 26.3 Template:Increase 1.5 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3 Template:Increase 1st Template:No2
2019 915,363 25.9 Template:Decrease 0.4 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
2022 971,995 27.5 Template:Increase 1.6 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2

Local elections

Municipal elections
Year Seats
No. ±
1925 Template:Composition bar
1929 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 117
1933 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 261
1937 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 278
1943 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 217
1946 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 262
1950 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 15
1954 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 179
1958 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 116
1962 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 827
1966 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 442
Municipal reform
1970 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 769
1974 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 237
1978 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 172
1981 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 103
1985 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 121
1989 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 31
1993 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 53
1997 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 52
2001 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 97
Municipal reform
2005 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 651
2009 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 99
2013 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 28
2017 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 69
2021 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 86
 
Regional elections
Year Seats
No. ±
1935 Template:Composition bar
1943 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 7
1946 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2
1950 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 5
1954 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 8
1958 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1
1962 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 4
1966 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1
Municipal reform
1970 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 63
1974 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 27
1978 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 9
1981 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 4
1985 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3
1989 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3
1993 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 10
1997 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0
2001 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 7
Municipal reform
2005 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 52
2009 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 9
2013 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1
2017 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 3
2021 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 6
 
Mayors
Year Seats
No. ±
2005 Template:Composition bar
2009 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 4
2013 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 16
2017 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 14
2021 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 4

European Parliament elections

European Parliament
Year List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
1979 Kjeld Olesen 382,487 21.92 (#1) Template:Composition bar New SOC
1984 Eva Gredal 387,098 19.45 (#3) Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0
1989 Kirsten Jensen 417,076 23.31 (#1) Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1
1994 329,202 15.83 (#3) Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 PES
1999 Torben Lund 324,256 16.46 (#2) Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0
2004 Poul Nyrup Rasmussen 618,412 32.65 (#1) Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 2
2009 Dan Jørgensen 503,982 21.49 (#1) Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 S&D
2014 Jeppe Kofod 435,245 19.12 (#2) Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1
2019 592,645 21.48 (#2) Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0
2024 Christel Schaldemose 381,125 15.57 (#2) Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0

Representation

Folketing

Template:See also At the 2019 election the Social Democrats won 48 seats in parliament. Henrik Sass Larsen was originally elected, but resigned his seat on 30 September 2019, after which Tanja Larsson took over his seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ida Auken was originally elected as a member of the Socialist People's Party, but switched to the Social Democrats on 29 January 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

       

European Parliament

Template:See also At the 2019 European Parliament election, the Social Democrats won three seats. The Social Democrats are part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Nordic Council

Of the 16 Danish members of the Nordic Council, four are members of the Social Democrats. The members of the Nordic Council are not elected by the public, but instead chosen by the parliamentary party groups. The Social Democrats are part of The Social Democratic Group in the Nordic Council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Youth wings

Template:Main The Social Democratic Youth of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom) is the Social Democrats' youth wing. It was founded on 8 February 1920 and is an independent organization from the Social Democrats. This allows them to formulate their own policies and make their own campaigns. Prominent Social Democrats beginning their political work in the Social Democratic Youth include prime ministers Hans Hedtoft, H. C. Hansen, Jens Otto Krag, Anker Jørgensen and Mette Frederiksen, as well as ministers Per Hækkerup and Morten Bødskov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Frit Forum is the Social Democrats' student organization. It was founded in 1943 in Copenhagen. It has since 1973 been organizationally part of Social Democratic Youth. Prominent members previously leading Frit Forum include prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and other leaders of the Social Democrats Mogens Lykketoft and Svend Auken.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes

Template:Notelist

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Party of European Socialists Template:Danish political parties Template:Social democracy Template:Portal Template:Authority control