Mette Frederiksen hopes to profit from her stand against Donald Trump’s attempt to claim the Arctic territory
Denmark’s prime minister has called an early election to take advantage of a “Greenland bounce” after Donald Trump’s threats to invade the Arctic territory.
Mette Frederiksen, who has been in office since 2019, is required by Danish law to call an election by 31 October. Setting a date with eight months to go appears to be an attempt to ride improved poll ratings after disastrous local elections in November that saw her Social Democrats lose control of Copenhagen for the first time in a century.
Polls last month showed that her party appeared to be gaining momentum, attributed in part to its handling of the crisis over Greenland. Frederiksen has also pledged a wealth tax to fund schools.
After hinting at an announcement on social media, she entered the Danish parliament on Thursday, beaming and sharing hugs with colleagues, including the Greenlandic politician Aaja Chemnitz, before passing a note to the speaker requesting the floor for a special statement.
