With the start of new government negotiations | Mette Frederiksen: “I am still the acting Prime Minister of Denmark and the candidate for the position, and the King has tasked Troels Lund with forming a government without the Socialists and Moderates.”
As the new round of government negotiations began in Denmark, Mette Frederiksen's statements emerged as the most significant political event during the first day of consultations led by Troels Lund Poulsen, the royal appointee tasked with forming the new government.
Negotiations began this morning at a hotel in the capital, Copenhagen, where Troels Lund Poulsen, leader of the Venstre party, is meeting with party representatives one by one to try to build a majority to lead the country after the 2026 elections, amid clear divisions within the right-wing camp and uncertainty about the shape of the next government.
Before entering negotiations, Mette Frederiksen confirmed that she remained acting prime minister and a candidate for prime minister, despite the task of exploring government formation having been transferred to Venstre. She stated, "As far as I know, I am still a candidate for prime minister, and I am the acting prime minister of Denmark."“
But the most sensitive statement came when she spoke about the nature of the mission Troelslund received from the king, saying: “The royal envoy said he wanted to form a bourgeois government, and he received a mandate from the king to do so without Social Demokratiet and without the Moderate party.”
This statement clearly reflects Mette Frederiksen’s view of the current scene, as she believes that the official task at hand is to try to form a purely right-wing government, without her Social Demokratiet party and without the Moderaterne party led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen. However, she left the door open to other possibilities, noting that everyone is waiting to see what Troels Lund will come up with from this round, especially if he encounters failed attempts within the right-wing camp.
Frederiksen also spoke about previous talks with Lars Løkke Rasmussen, stressing that Løkke “withdrew from negotiations that were going well,” and that those talks were based on “a strong common ground and a progressive orientation,” seemingly indicating the possibility of continuing a centrist project that existed before the political alignments changed.
Within the blue-right camp, Alex Vanopslagh, leader of the Liberal Alliance, reiterated his support for the idea of forming a right-wing or "center-right" government, asserting that he believes it is "realistic." He also addressed a direct message to Morten Messerschmidt, leader of the Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti), expressing his hope that Messerschmidt would not be the reason for the collapse of the right-wing government project and the sacrifice of a right-wing prime minister simply because he refused to include Lars Løkke Rasmussen in the coalition.
Morten Messerschmidt himself reiterated his refusal to allow Lars Løkke Rasmussen to join any new government, asserting his readiness to bring down any government in which the Moderate leader participates. However, he also hinted at the possibility of supporting a right-wing minority government from the outside, should he be able to circumvent Lars Løkke Rasmussen's influence within parliament, particularly on immigration and security policy.
For her part, Inger Støjberg said that her party’s goal is clear: “to remove Mette Frederiksen from the premiership,” calling on all right-wing parties to make mutual concessions in order to ensure a right-wing prime minister.
Left-wing and Green parties appeared pessimistic about the prospects for cooperation with Venstre. Franciska Rosenkilde, leader of the Alternativet party, said after her meeting with Troels Lund that "the common ground between our party and Venstre is very limited." She also expressed doubts about Venstre's ability to implement effective policies on climate and clean water, emphasizing that these issues have been raised for years without tangible results from right-wing governments.
Representatives of Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of the SF party, and leaders of Radikale Venstre also indicated that they do not expect lengthy negotiations with Venstre, highlighting the significant political gap between the two sides. Although Radikale Venstre has historically supported centrist and consensus governments, it has stated clearly that it is prepared to cooperate with any government that achieves gains in the areas of the environment and climate.
The left-wing Enhedslisten party, for its part, expressed its conviction that the current negotiations with Venstre are unlikely to lead to actual cooperation, considering that the government project currently on the table is clearly moving towards the right.
These circumstances leave the Danish political landscape open to multiple possibilities. While Troels Lund Poulsen attempts to fulfill the task Mette Frederiksen claims the King has assigned him—namely, forming a right-wing government without the Social Democrats and the Moderates—divisions within the right-wing camp itself appear to be a significant obstacle. Should this attempt fail, scenarios for a centrist government or even a return of Mette Frederiksen to the forefront of the political scene could resurface strongly in the coming days. The new royal investigator, Troels Lund Poulsen, has stated that he has only 14 days to explore the possibility of forming a new Danish government.
