Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen said her minority government will rely on leftist parties for support. Their deal includes bold climate action and increases to welfare spending after years of austerity.
Image: picture-alliance/L. Sabroe
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Danish lawmaker Mette Frederiksen, who heads the Social Democrats, announced on Wednesday that she will lead a left-leaning government.
"It is with great pleasure I can announce that after three weeks of negotiations, we have a majority to form a new government," said the 41-year-old, who is set to become Denmark's youngest prime minister.
Frederiksen said her government will rely on support from four other left-of-center parties, including the Socialist People's Party and the Social-Liberal Party. Part of their deal includes enacting legislation that will cut Denmark's carbon dioxide emissions by 70% over the next decade.
"We did not know that this was going to work out when we started negotiations," Frederiksen said. "These are four parties with very different stories and attitudes. We have achieved our goal now."
The Social Democrats' campaign platform included promises to end austerity and boost spending for welfare programs. They garnered 26.2% of the vote, while the so-called red bloc — a loose alliance of leftist parties — captured 91 out of Denmark's 179 seats.
Denmark is the third Nordic country to form a left-leaning government over the past year, following Finland and Sweden. At a time when Social Democratic parties like the SPD in Germany have failed to convince voters, their northern iterations have made substantial gains by focusing on welfare services, climate action and wealth taxes.
Denmark's center-right government plans to eliminate what it calls "ghettos" by 2030, in an attempt to integrate immigrants from largely non-Western countries. We spoke to people who live in a few of these "ghettos."
Image: DW/C. Andersen
Center of the immigration debate
"Cracks have appeared in the map of Denmark. [...] Throughout the country, there are parallel societies." With these words, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced his government's new "ghetto plan" during his 2018 New Year's address. The plan was presented in one of Copenhagen's so-called "ghettos," Mjolnerparken.
Image: DW. C. Andersen
Deprived areas
Rasmussen's center-right government identified 25 deprived areas, including Mjolnerparken, that fulfill three of five criteria: high unemployment, low income level, low level of education, a majority of inhabitants from non-Western countries and more than 2.7 percent of adults have been convicted of crimes.
Image: DW/C. Andersen
Harsh measures
The newly introduced measures include mandatory child care for toddlers living in these areas. There they are to be taught about democracy, equality and the sentiment behind major Danish holidays, among other things. Controversial proposals to double the penalties for certain crimes committed in "ghettos" are under discussion.
Image: DW/C. Andersen
Struggling to integrate
Denmark is a very homogeneous society. Almost 87 percent of its population of 5.7 million people is of Danish descent. The country has struggled to integrate immigrants from outside Europe.
Image: DW/C. Andersen
Where tourists and immigrants meet
With its wavy line, Superkilen Park is a go-to spot for tourists in Copenhagen who want to snap cool photos. The park also directly borders the Mjolnerparken "ghetto," which begins behind this little hill and is generally left out of the itinerary of visitors to trendy Superkilen.
Image: DW/C. Andersen
Feeling discriminated against
Muhammed Aslam lives in Mjolnerparken. Originally from Pakistan, the father of four has been living in the very same apartment since the estate was built. He disapproves of the government targeting the area he calls home: "The politicians are taking all our freedom and democratic rights from us. They are sitting in parliament and are having a conversation without us."
Image: DW/C. Andersen
'Oh, is that the ghetto?'
Tingbjerg is another Copenhagen neighborhood deemed a "ghetto." Originally from Somalia, Barwaqo Jama Hussein works at a drug store and is actively engaged in Tingbjerg's community. She is frustrated by the public discourse: "You see yourself as a negative thing. You must be a ghetto child. When you tell people that you are from Tingbjerg, a lot of them say: 'Oh, is that the ghetto?'"
