Mette Frederiksen has secured a third term as Danish prime minister, cobbling together a four-party coalition of left and centre parties after two months of tense negotiations. In power since 2019, Frederiksen is one of the few European politicians to lead her country into a third term as prime minister.Frederiksen is well thought of by fellow EU leaders, not least for her strong support for Ukraine and firm immigration policy. But her party was hammered in the March general election, posting its worst result since 1903. Difficult inter-party talks followed until foreign minister and strong rival Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the centrist Moderates finally saved the prime minister’s bacon.She could struggle to serve out her full term after being weakened by a series of scandals during her second term. What some see as her autocratic style has worn thin with supporters, as did her abolition of a public holiday. But Frederiksen’s left-wing bloc ended up with 84 seats out of the 90 needed for a majority. Rasmussen’s Moderates have 14 seats in the 12-party parliament. As one observer noted, Frederiksen was not returned to power on her own merits: “She is becoming prime minister because of a fragmented and directionless opposition.”Her return will relieve the few socialist leaders in the EU. Her politics are of the mainstream left, supporting high taxes, a strong social safety net and a commitment to combating climate change. She has been hawkish on defence, playing a major role in supplying Ukraine with weapons.Significantly, her willingness to stand up robustly to Donald Trump’s bullying demand to annex Greenland undoubtedly helped her standing. Spain’s Pedro Sanchez has also won kudos at home for his handling of Trump, while Hungary’s former prime minister Viktor Orban and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni have paid a price for their association.In her next term, Frederiksen faces back into talks on Greenland with the US, with Denmark and EU allies adamant they will not give an inch.