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‘So important what message we will send to Europe and world tonight’
Miranda Bryant
in Copenhagen
Good morning from Copenhagen where I have just bumped into Pelle Dragsted, the leader of Enhedslisten – the Red-Green Alliance – high-fiving and waving at passing commuters on bicycles. The recently elected Copenhagen Lord Mayor, Sisse Marie Welling, from the SF party also just cycled by.
After a short but intense election period, Denmark goes to the polls today in what is expected to be a very tight election.
The Social Democrats’ Mette Frederiksen is largely predicted to remain prime minister, but it is not guaranteed – with the Moderates’ Lars Løkke Rasmussen expected to be in pole position to be a kingmaker in coalition talks.
The 12 leaders were debating on television late into the night last night.
The election has been dominated by domestic issues like animal welfare, drinking water, further tightening immigration and the cost of living in front of the back drop of geopolitical issues – not least the crisis with the US in January when Donald Trump threatened to invade Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom.
Dragsted told me the election is “about Danish daily life of citizens but it’s also an election of what’s going on in the world.
“We have a clash of authoritarian forces one side and we are having a lot of important years that will define the future of Europe. Our election is part of that clash.”
He added: “For me it’s so important what message we will send to Europe and the world tonight.”
Morning opening: Danes go to the polls
Jakub Krupa
After votes in France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia over the weekend, it’s now time for Denmark, as Danes go to the polls today amid the backdrop of (waves arms) everything, everywhere, all at once.
As our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant explains, the incumbent, Mette Frederiksen, has been widely predicted to continue as prime minister after the election.
Earlier this year, her party recorded a “Greenland bump” after dealing with US president Donald Trump’s threats aimed at the semiautonomous territory, but the campaign was dominated by domestic issues.
And it’s all very tight.
The last Verian poll, published on Monday, predicted that neither the red nor the blue bloc would be able to form a majority without the Moderates, putting the Moderates leader, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, in the position of kingmaker.
Miranda is on the ground in Copenhagen and she will keep us posted on the main stories and the colour of the election day in Denmark.
The polls close 8pm local time (7pm UK) and we will have exit polls and immediate reactions for you on the blog.
It’s Tuesday, 24 March 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
