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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14928312

 

16 September 2011 Last updated at 05:38 GMT

 

Helle Thorning-Schmidt to be Danish PM after poll win

 

Denmark's centre-left has won the country's general election, ending nearly a decade in opposition.

 

With all votes counted, the bloc led by Social Democrat leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt had won a narrow majority in parliament.

 

She is set to become Denmark's first woman prime minister. Incumbent Lars Lokke Rasmussen has admitted defeat.

 

Ms Thorning-Schmidt had campaigned on a platform of tax rises and increased public spending.

 

She also promised to roll back tough immigration laws proposed by a junior partner of the current coalition.

 

The centre-left bloc won 89 seats in Denmark's 179-seat parliament against 86 for the centre-right. Turnout was high at 87.7%.

 

"We did it... today we've written history," Ms Thorning-Schmidt told jubilant supporters.

 

Mr Rasmussen said he had called Ms Thorning-Schmidt to congratulate her, but added: "Tonight I hand over the keys to the prime minister's office to Helle Thorning-Schmidt. And dear Helle, take good care of them. You're only borrowing them."

 

The "Blue Bloc" led by Mr Rasmussen has held power in Denmark for a decade.

 

The country has seen its worst economic downturn since World War II. Although Denmark is a member of the EU, it has chosen not to adopt the euro.

 

'12 extra minutes'

 

Mr Rasmussen's liberal-conservative alliance has long relied on the anti-immigrant People's Party (DPP) to push legislation through parliament.

 

The recent decision of Denmark, a Schengen state, to reimpose border controls came after pressure from the DPP, the third-biggest party in parliament.

 

However, the main issue of the election has been the health of the national finances.

 

Ms Thorning-Schmidt campaigned on a platform of tax rises and increased public spending, the BBC's Thomas Buch-Andersen in Copenhagen reports.

 

Although Mr Rasmussen was considered to have done well to steer Denmark through the financial crisis, its economic rebound is seen as sluggish and disappointing, our correspondent adds.

 

The economic crisis has turned Denmark's healthy surpluses into deficits, estimated to climb to 4.6% of GDP next year.

 

Local banks have also been struggling, with nine taken over by the state since the start of the crisis in 2008.

 

Ms Thorning-Schmidt has accused Mr Rasmussen of failing to spur growth and allowing the deficit to grow.

 

She advocates increased government spending, along with an unusual plan to make everyone work 12 minutes more per day, Reuters news agency reports.

 

An extra hour of productivity each week, the Social Democrats argue, would help kick-start growth.

 

"Denmark needs change, Denmark needs to move on and Denmark needs my leadership," Ms Thorning-Schmidt said.

 

The Social Democrat leader is a former MEP (member of the European Parliament) and is married to Stephen Kinnock, son of British Labour Party politicians Neil and Glenys Kinnock.

 

 

Helle Thorning-Schmidt

 

Aged 44, has led Denmark's Social Democrats since 2005

Nicknamed by some "Gucci Helle" for her taste in designer clothes

Has a reputation for being tough and is credited with reuniting her party

Has a political science degree from the University of Copenhagen

Married to Stephen Kinnock, son of former UK Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock

 

 

From other news sites:

 

Yahoo! UK and Ireland : Denmark's Thorning-Schmidt set to be first female PM

 

Guardian.co.uk : Danes vote for their first female prime minister

 

Reuters UK : Denmark's "Red bloc" defeats centre right

 

-----

 

Mandates for each party

 

RED bloc 89 mandates + 3 mandates from North-Atlantic Mandates *) = 92 mandates

 

Social-Democratic Party 44 (-1)

Radical Left (a social-liberal party) 17 (+8)

Socialistic People's Party (SPP) 16 (-7)

Unity List (coalition of former marxists, leninists and socialists) 12 (+8)

 

4 North-Atlantic Mandates: 2 from Greenland, both going to the RED bloc and 2 from the Faroe Islands divided between Red and Blue bloc

 

 

BLUE bloc 86 + 1 mandate from the Faroe Islands = 87 mandates

 

Venstre (liberal party, former PM party) 47 (+1)

Danish People's Party (DPP) 22 (-3)

Conservative Party 8 (-10)

Liberal Alliance (an ultra-liberal party) 9 (+4)

 

 

It was the worst-ever election result for the Social-Democratic Party for more than 100 years and it lost one mandate, but this party is now back in power thanks to the successful election results for the liberal-social party and the Unity List

 

It was Venstre's best election result since 2001 when Venstre (and the Conservative Party supported by the People's Party) came to power. Venstre won one mandate and is now Denmark's largest political party, but lost power.

 

The Social-Democratic party will form government with Socialistic People's Party - and if possible also with the social-liberal party. The economic politics of the social-liberal party is very similar to the former government! So difficult government negotiations ahead - it will not be easy to find a basis for the new government.

 

The Social-Democratic party will form a government with Socialistic People's Party - and if possible also with the social-liberal party. The economic politics of the social-liberal party is very similar to that of the former government! So difficult government negotiations ahead - it will not be easy to find a basis for the new government.

 

One of the new government's first actions will be to implement a deal made between the former government (consisting of Venstre/the liberal party and the Conservative Party), Danish People's Party AND the social-liberal party. The latter supports the new government and might even be part of it - AND it demands that the deal made with the former government be implemented as all parties involved in making this deal still support it - 103 mandates (majority being above 90 mandates) are behind this deal (see below).

 

The deal involves reduction of the period of unemployment benefits from 4 to 2 years and deterioration of the conditions for receiving early retirement benefits and also reduction of the period of receiving early retirement benefits from 5 to 3 years. This deal will be hard to swallow for the Socialistic People's Party (which is to be part of the coming government) and the Unity List.

 

In the election campaign all the parties in the Red bloc (minus the social-liberal party which was involved in the deal) were speaking against this deal, but now they are forced to implement it as it is!!

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