Social Democrats have taken the most seats in an election centered on issues of immigration, climate and welfare. Left-leaning parties did well, while support for the populist Danish People's Party plummeted.
Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen of the Liberal Party conceded defeat to the center-left party led by Mette Frederiksen, which appeared to have gained support thanks to its adoption of a tougher stance on immigration.
Main preliminary election results:
The Social Democrats won 26.2%. It and other left-wing parties that form the "red bloc" in the Danish parliament are set to win a total of 91 out of 179 seats.
The center-right Liberal Party garnered 23.4%, up almost 4 percentage points since 2015. But its center-right bloc, which is currently in power, is set to get only 75 parliamentary seats.
The right-wing populist Danish People's Party won 8.8%, down from 21.1% in 2015.
Six other parties made it into parliament.
Voter turnout was typically high, at about 85%
Minority government: Frederiksen, 41, said that the Social Democrats would try to run a minority government. Such governments are common in Denmark, where ruling parties often seek support from different parties to pass laws on a case-by-case basis. Frederiksen said she would seek support from right-wing parties on immigration, while reaching out to the left on issues such as welfare and climate change.
On June 5, Danes head to the polls. The ruling center-right government hopes to woo voters with its harsh anti-immigrant agenda. A closer look at the Kaershovedgaard deportation camp shows what that looks like.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
From prison to deportation center
This former prison in the small isolated village of Kaershovedgaard has been converted into a deportation center. The cells which once housed prisoners are now home to rejected asylum-seekers facing deportation from Denmark. But the erstwhile prison hasn't completely given up its former function: Criminals who have been ordered to leave the country are also kept here.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Awaiting deportation
Iraqi national Ali Adnan converted to Christianity when came to Denmark. He now goes by the name Daniel Christiansen, and has been living at the Kaershovedgaard deportation center for over a year. Denmark's center-right minority government wants to see him and other migrants swiftly sent home.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Deterring asylum-seekers
Christiansen is forced to share cramped living quarters with hundreds of other migrants who also face deportation. Denmark's government is pursuing a strict anti-migrant agenda to deter further asylum-seekers from coming to the country. It has also announced plans to start housing rejected asylum-seekers on an uninhabited island.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Village of outcasts
Back in his native Iraq, Behzad Moradi used to work as a hairdresser. Today, he gives his fellow inmates a free trim. Migrants living here have created a tight-knit community within Kaershovedgaard. But a law passed last summer by parliament wants to prevent communities like this from forming in the first place, and foresees demolishing "certain ghetto areas" predominately inhabited by migrants.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
In the middle of nowhere
Iranian national Hoshang Rostami walks though the remote camp's dark alleyways — the next large town is more than two hours away by foot. Making life difficult for rejected asylum-seekers is a deliberate strategy by Denmark's center-right minority government, which depends on the support of the right-wing populist Danish People's Party.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Three meals per day
The Danish state dictates when and what migrants get to eat; they aren't allowed to buy or prepare food of their own. Regardless of who wins the June elections, Denmark's tough stance on migrants will most likely remain in place. The opposition Social Democrats have said they don't plan on making any changes, should they win.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Looking ahead
Despite the odds, Iranian Karim Azizi remains optimistic — it doesn't look as if Denmark will ramp up its anti-migrant stance even further. The populist Danish People's Party suffered a huge defeat in May's European Parliament elections, and polls indicate that a left-wing coalition could replace the ruling center-right alliance after the June election.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
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Not just immigration: The Social Democrats also campaigned on bolstering efforts to fight climate change and increasing spending on welfare programs and healthcare after years of budget cuts under Prime Minister Rasmussen.
Far-right in flux: The results show that many supporters of Danish People's Party, which often voted with the center-right Liberals on immigration, shifted to the Social Democrats after they adopted tougher immigration policies. Danish People's Party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl admitted the results were "really, really bad," but said he would continue to lead the party.
Extreme right: Parties focused on an anti-immigration platform had mixed results. The anti-Muslim Hard Line failed to make it over the 2% threshold to enter parliament, while The New Right won 2.3% to enter parliament for the first time.
