Danish government seeks elections to prevent vote of no-confidence over mink scandal

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, is anticipated to call for general elections this week after being subjected to political blackmail over her involvement in the country's bungled mink cull in 2020 by a former ally.

After the Social Liberal party, one of the government's three supporters, threatened to stop supporting her, Frederiksen, who heads a minority Social Democratic government, was given until Tuesday to declare a vote.

The Social Liberal party ultimately agreed to extend the prime minister's day, so if Frederiksen decides not to call for elections on Wednesday, she will still have until Thursday to survive a vote of no confidence, as reported by the Politico.

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“Danish politics has always been very predictable. Now it’s crazy and on speed,” said Noa Redington, a political commentator.

Once announced, the election will occur in a matter of weeks, and the outlook is not favourable for Frederiksen or her party given the decline in the prime minister's popularity in recent months.

Despite continuing to enjoy the highest level of popularity, her ruling party's coalition with allying parties risks losing the majority, according to recent polls. Thus, the opposition party, which is commanded by the Liberals and Conservatives, would hold the upper hand. Even still, there is a good chance that the vote will be close because the differences between the two sides are within the error margins of the surveys.

Many have cited Frederiksen's involvement in the nation's 17 million mink population's extraordinary culling, which was brought on by concerns about COVID-19 contamination but later revealed to be unlawful, as the reason for her low polling.

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