King of Denmark tasks right-wing Defense Minister with forming a government

The King of Denmark has asked Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen to explore the possibility of forming a government following the failure of Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the royal residence announced on Friday, UNN reports.

Details

"The King has requested the leader of the Liberal Party, Troels Lund Poulsen, to lead negotiations on forming a government without the participation of the Social Democrats and the Moderates," a statement from the King's office said.

As Reuters notes, this refers to the formation of a potential center-right government following the collapse of negotiations between center-left parties.

The March elections to the Danish Parliament resulted in a fragmented parliament of 12 parties, and since then, negotiations have been led by Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, hoping to secure a third term in office.

However, Frederiksen's negotiations with potential partners have reached a deadlock in recent weeks, slowing government decision-making amid efforts to resolve a crisis in relations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over Greenland.

On Friday, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his centrist Moderate Party ended negotiations with Frederiksen and proposed handing over the leadership of the talks to Lund Poulsen, who heads the center-right Liberal Party.

If Lund Poulsen manages to secure enough support from both right-wing and centrist parties, he could become Prime Minister. If he fails, the leadership of the negotiations will return to Frederiksen or one of the other party leaders.

Frederiksen's Social Democrats, who have been in power since 2019, won 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament, down from 50 in 2022, marking their worst election result since 1903.

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