Denmark
The Danish Parliament
Structure
Data on parliamentary sessions, parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups.
Sessions
Number of ordinary sessions of parliament per year
Dates of parliamentary sessions
| Parliament is usually in ordinary session | Extraordinary sessions can be held | |
|---|---|---|
| January | x | |
| February | x | |
| March | x | |
| April | x | |
| May | x | |
| June | x | |
| July | x | |
| August | x | |
| September | x | |
| October | x | |
| November | x | |
| December | x |
Number of days parliament met in plenary, per year
Notes
For some parliaments, data can not be presented on an annual basis, for example because parliamentary sessions run from April to March of the following year. In such cases, the period to which the data corresponds is specified here.
Figures are based on the parliamentary year which begins on the first Tuesday of October and ends the same date the following year.
All languages recognized in the constitution can be used in plenary meetings
Answer “Yes” includes the countries where only one language is recognized by the Constitution.
Yes
Committees
Number of permanent committees
This number does not include sub-committees or joint committees in bicameral parliaments.
Parliamentary groups
Parliamentary groups are recognized in the parliamentary rules
“Parliamentary groups” are the primary means by which political parties organize themselves in parliament. They may also be known as “party groups”, “caucuses” or “fractions”. They are different from all-party groups on specific issues, or inter-parliamentary friendship groups.
Number of parliamentary groups
Not applicable. There is no minimum number of members to form a parliamentary group
Yes
Independent members can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Several parties can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Relevant provisions about parliamentary groups in the parliamentary rules of procedure
Political parties are not mentioned in the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is the framework of the Danish political system. Nor do the Standing Orders include any specific provisions about parliamentary groups. An annex to the Standing Orders containing rules on the time allotted to speakers, etc., does provide some guidance, however. It follows from the annex that the term ’parliamentary group’ should in this context be understood to mean a group consisting of several members who: a) have been elected to represent and continue to represent a certain party in parliament; b) have found a new parliamentary group or party to put up candidates for the next election; c) join an existing political party that is not represented in the Danish Parliament but whose Members are entitled to stand for election; or d) no longer maintain a valid affiliation with the political party represented by the group but continue to appear together as a group, with a common policy.