Denmark

The Danish Parliament

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections

Background

Election date(s) The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
01.11.2022
Timing of election Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
Early election
Expected date of next elections The expected date at which the next elections should take place, based on law or practice.
31.10.2026
Number of seats at stake Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
179
Scope of elections Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
Full renewal

Candidates

Total number of candidates Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
1,014
Number of male candidates Number of male candidates
625
Number of female candidates Number of female candidates
389
Percentage of women candidates The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
38.36%
Number of parties contesting the election This field may include either the number of parties contesting the election, or the number of coalitions/electoral alliance.
14

Voter turnout

Registration Number of people registered to vote
4,269,048
Votes Number of people who actually voted
3,592,822
Voter turnout The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
84.16%

Results

About the election Short description of the context and results of the election.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Party remained the largest party in the snap elections. It won 50 seats in the 179-member parliament. The Liberal Party (Venstre, led by Mr. Jakob Elleman-Jensen) took 23 seats, down from 43. Its splinter party, Moderates, formed in June 2022 by former Prime Minister and former Liberal Party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, took 16 seats. A record 78 women (43.58%) were elected in 2022, up from 70 (39.11%) in 2019. On 15 November, the newly elected Parliament held its first session. The following day, it elected Mr. Søren Gade (Liberal Party) as its new Speaker.

The 2022 elections were held seven months earlier than was constitutionally required. The Prime Minister, who had won praise for the overall handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, came under criticism over a decision to cull the country’s entire captive mink population for fear of a COVID-19 variant infecting humans. In June, a parliament-appointed commission said the government had lacked a legal justification for the cull. The Social Liberal Party (one of the coalition partners of the Social Democratic Party) said it would table a confidence vote unless the Prime Minister called an early election. On 5 October, the Prime Minister called early elections for 1 November.

During election campaigning, the Prime Minister, whose outgoing government comprised what was known as the Red Bloc (see note), said she would try to form a government with parties from the political right in order to steer the country safely through uncertain times. On 15 December, Prime Minister Frederiksen announced a new coalition government comprising her Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Moderates. It is the first coalition government since 1978 that involves both the Social Democrats (which have traditionally led the Red Bloc) and the Liberals (which have led the Blue Bloc).

Note:
The Red Bloc comprised the Social Democratic Party, the Socialist People's Party (SF), the Social Liberal Party (RV), the Unity List – Red-Green Alliance, and the Alternative. In 2022, the Red Bloc won a total of 90 seats in the 179-member parliament: 88 out of 175 seats in Denmark and two more seats in Greenland. However, the Unity List – Red-Green Alliance (which took nine seats) and the Alternative (six seats) subsequently left the coalition talks.
Number of parties winning seats The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
12
Percentage of parties winning seats The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of parties which won parliamentary representation by the number of parties contesting the election.
85.71%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
27.93%
Alternation of power after elections The results of the elections caused a change in the government. "Not applicable" to countries using the presidential system when parliamentary and presidential elections are held separately, to countries in political transition or where there is no party system.
No
Note on the alternation of power
Although the composition of the government has changed, the executive is led by the same Prime Minister.
Number of parties in government The government may be formed by one or more political parties
3
Names of parties in government The government may be formed by one or more political parties
Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Moderates
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political groups winning seats breakdown
Political group Total Constituency seats Compensatory seats
Social Democratic Party 50 50 0
Liberal Party (Venstre) 23 21 2
Moderates (M) 16 13 3
Socialist People's Party (SF) 15 12 3
Danish Democrats (Æ) 14 11 3
Liberal Alliance 14 10 4
Conservative People's Party 10 7 3
Unity List-Red-Green Alliance 9 4 5
Social Liberal Party (RV) 7 2 5
The New Right 6 2 4
Alternative 6 2 4
Danish People's Party 5 1 4
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
101
Number of women elected
78
Percentage of women elected The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
43.58%
Other notes
Note
Four other members are elected separately from Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The statistics above exclude the election results for these four members.

Election results for Greenland
- Siumut: 1 seat
- Inuit Ataqatigiit: 1 seat

Election results for the Faroe Islands
- Sambandsflokkurin: 1 seat
- Javnaðarflokkurin: 1 seat

Note on the Parties or coalitions winning seats:
Of the 175 seats reserved for Denmark (which excludes the seats for Greenland and the Faroe Islands), 135 constituency seats are distributed locally among the 10 multi-member constituencies. The remaining 40 seats are compensatory seats, which are distributed among the three electoral provinces as part of a national seat allocation.

Article 77(4) of the Folketing (Parliamentary) Elections Act stipulates: “If a party has obtained more constituency seats than the total number of seats to which the party is entitled in proportion to its vote, see subsection (2), a second computation shall be made. In this computation parties which have obtained a number of constituency seats equivalent to or larger than the total number of seats to which they are entitled in proportion to their votes shall be disregarded.”

In the 2022 elections, the Social Democratic Party won 50 constituency seats even though, in proportion to the number of national-level votes it received, it would have been entitled to 49 seats. In accordance with Article 77(4), the Social Democratic Party therefore retained its 50 seats. Consequently, the Liberal Party (Venstre) received 23 seats in all (21 constituency seats and 2 compensatory seats) even though, in proportion to the number of national-level votes it received, the party would have been entitled to a total of 24 seats.

Sources:
https://elections.im.dk/media/15735/the-electoral-system-in-denmark.pdf
https://elections.im.dk/parliament-elections/folketing-parliamentary-elections-act
https://www.dst.dk/valg/Valg1968094/other/OpgorelseFolketingsvalg2022.pdf

Date of the dissolution of the outgoing legislature:
The outgoing legislature is dissolved on election day in accordance with section 32(4) of the Constitution, which stipulates: “No seats shall be vacated until a new election has been held.”

Date of the first session of the newly elected legislature:
In accordance with section 35(1) of the Constitution, the first session of a newly elected parliament is held on the twelfth weekday after the election (with weekdays being all days excluding Sundays and holidays, i.e., 14 calendar days).
Women Directly Elected
78

New legislature

Total number of men after the election The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
101
Total number of women after the election The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
78
First-term parliamentarians The number of members who are assuming their parliamentary mandate for the first time following the election or renewal, regardless of their mode of designation.
52
Date of the first session The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
15.11.2022
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Søren Gade (Male)
Political party
Liberal Party (Venstre)
Date of election
16.11.2022