.svg) |
|---|
There are three types ofelections in Denmark: elections to the national parliament (theFolketing), local elections (to municipal and regional councils), and elections to theEuropean Parliament.Referendums may also be called to consult the Danish citizens directly on an issue of national concern.
Parliamentary elections are called by theMonarch on the advice of thePrime Minister, usually three to four years after the last election, although early elections may occur. Elections to local councils (municipal or regional) and to the European Parliament are held on fixed dates. Elections use theparty-list proportional representation system. All Danish citizens, living in the Kingdom of Denmark and at least 18 years of age, are eligible to vote in parliamentary elections and long-time residents may vote in local elections.
The Kingdom of Denmark (including theFaroe Islands andGreenland) elects aunicameral parliament, theFolketing, on a national level. Of the 179 members of parliament, the Faroe Islands and Greenland elect two members each, 135 are elected from ten multi-member constituencies on aparty list PR system using thed'Hondt method and the remaining 40 seats are allocated to ensure proportionality at a national level. To get a share of supplementary seats a party needs to get at least 2% of the total number of votes.
Only parties that reach any one of three thresholds stipulated by section 77 of the Folketing (Parliamentary) Elections Act—winning at least one constituency seat; obtaining at least the Hare quota (valid votes in province/number of constituency seats in province) in two of the three provinces; or obtaining at least 2% of the national vote—may compete for compensatory seats.[1]
Denmark has amulti-party system, with numerousparties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, andparties must work with each other to formcoalition governments and/orminority cabinets.
Elections to the Folketing must be held at least every four years.
The last general election was held in November 2022.
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Denmark proper | |||||
| Social Democrats | 971,995 | 27.50 | 50 | +2 | |
| Venstre | 470,546 | 13.32 | 23 | –20 | |
| Moderates | 327,699 | 9.27 | 16 | New | |
| Green Left | 293,186 | 8.30 | 15 | +1 | |
| Denmark Democrats | 286,796 | 8.12 | 14 | New | |
| Liberal Alliance | 278,656 | 7.89 | 14 | +10 | |
| Conservative People's Party | 194,820 | 5.51 | 10 | –2 | |
| Red–Green Alliance | 181,452 | 5.13 | 9 | –4 | |
| Social Liberals | 133,931 | 3.79 | 7 | –9 | |
| New Right | 129,524 | 3.67 | 6 | +2 | |
| The Alternative | 117,567 | 3.33 | 6 | +1 | |
| Danish People's Party | 93,428 | 2.64 | 5 | –11 | |
| Independent Greens | 31,787 | 0.90 | 0 | New | |
| Christian Democrats | 18,276 | 0.52 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 4,288 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 3,533,951 | 100.00 | 175 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 3,533,951 | 98.36 | |||
| Invalid votes | 12,599 | 0.35 | |||
| Blank votes | 46,272 | 1.29 | |||
| Total votes | 3,592,822 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 4,269,048 | 84.16 | |||
| Source: DST[4] | |||||
| Faroe Islands | |||||
| Union Party | 8,198 | 30.19 | 1 | 0 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 7,659 | 28.20 | 1 | 0 | |
| Republic | 4,927 | 18.14 | 0 | 0 | |
| People's Party | 4,222 | 15.55 | 0 | 0 | |
| Centre Party | 1,217 | 4.48 | 0 | New | |
| Progress | 936 | 3.45 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 27,159 | 100.00 | 2 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 27,159 | 99.20 | |||
| Invalid votes | 73 | 0.27 | |||
| Blank votes | 146 | 0.53 | |||
| Total votes | 27,378 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 38,387 | 71.32 | |||
| Source: kvf.fo[3] | |||||
| Greenland | |||||
| Siumut | 7,424 | 38.58 | 1 | 0 | |
| Inuit Ataqatigiit | 4,852 | 25.21 | 1 | 0 | |
| Democrats | 3,656 | 19.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Naleraq | 2,416 | 12.55 | 0 | 0 | |
| Atassut | 720 | 3.74 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cooperation Party | 176 | 0.91 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 19,244 | 100.00 | 2 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 19,244 | 97.52 | |||
| Invalid votes | 197 | 1.00 | |||
| Blank votes | 293 | 1.48 | |||
| Total votes | 19,734 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 41,305 | 47.78 | |||
| Source: Qinersineq[2] | |||||
The latest elections for the ninety-eightmunicipal councils and the fiveregional councils were held on 18 November 2025
TheDenmark constituency directly elects thirteen members to theEuropean Parliament every five years. Thed'Hondt method of proportional representation is used. The last elections took place in June 2024.
TheConstitution of Denmark requires a referendum to be held in the following three cases:
The option for one third of the members of the Parliament to put a law to a referendum has a number of restrictions. Finance Bills, Supplementary Appropriation Bills, Provisional Appropriation Bills, Government Loan Bills, Civil Servants (Amendment) Bills, Salaries and Pensions Bills, Naturalization Bills, Expropriation Bills, Taxation (Direct and Indirect) Bills, as well as Bills introduced for the purpose The Work of Parliament of discharging existing treaty obligations shall not be decided by a referendum. (Section 42, Subsection 6 of the Constitution)[5]
Even though the Constitution of Denmark requires referendum to be held only if super-majority of five-sixths of members of Parliament cannot be obtained, in practice, referendums have been held every time newtreaties of the European Union have been approved, even when more than five-sixths can be found. Recently, the Danish government was highly criticized when it did not hold a referendum regarding the controversialLisbon treaty.
In all three cases, to defeat the proposition the no votes must not only outnumber the yes votes, they must also number at least 30% of the electorate.
TheConstitution of Denmark can be changed only through the procedure set out in Section 88 of the Constitution.[5] First, the government has to propose a change in constitution, then a parliamentary election is held. After the new parliament approves the same text of the constitutional changes, the proposal is put to a referendum. To pass, the yes votes must not only outnumber the no votes, they must also number at least 40% of the electorate.
Of the 19 referendums held in Denmark, the most recent are the2015 referendum on ending the opt-out from the European Union justice laws and the2022 referendum on ending the opt-out from the European Union security and military framework.
