Our endorsement for today's Danish general election

Danes go to the polls today to choose a new Parliament and a new government.  While the current Liberal-Conservative administration has some good results to show on the economy, its policies on immigration and other social issues –highly influenced by the far-right Danish People’s Party, on which support the current government depends– have been disappointing to say the least.

We strongly believe in the importance of a balanced representative democracy. The center-right has governed Denmark for the past decade. We believe it is time for change. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Social Democrat leader, has the potential to become a good Prime Minister and we would be glad to see Denmark choose its first female PM. But our wish for a center-left government does not imply full support for a leftist agenda. We believe that there are certain economic policies set forth by the current administration that should continue –among them, the focus on fiscal responsibility. That’s why we are glad to see centrist parties gaining ground during this campaign. According to recent polls, the Social Liberals (Radikale Venstre) and the Liberal Alliance are expected to be the big winners in Thursday’s election night.  

Denmark needs to continue focusing on fiscal responsibility and, at the same time, become a welcoming country to immigrants. A prosperous Denmark requires both.  The center-right passed the first test. It failed the second miserably. We hope a future center-left government led by Thorning-Schmidt’s Social Democrats and supported by the Social Liberals and the Socialist People’s Party finds the right balance to pass both tests.

Finally, if we had a vote in today’s election, we would cast the ballot for the Social Liberals. SocLibs are the only ones that, we believe, understand that the key to a prosperous Denmark lies on both, a strong economy and an open and tolerant society.  Vote for an open and liberal Denmark. Vote Radikale Venstre!