00:00Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said this Thursday that she'd scheduled this year's general election for March the 24th.
00:06Against the backdrop of tension, chiefly the American threat to annex Greenland,
00:11Frederiksen's gambling that her straight talk and no compromise stance over Greenland will boost her political standing.
00:17There's also, of course, the threat ongoing from Vladimir Putin's Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
00:23Let's get the analysis and bring in our correspondent from Copenhagen, Trina Villeman.
00:28Trina, thanks for being with us here on France 24.
00:31Has this declaration of a snap election taken people, well, as you might expect, by surprise?
00:38No, not at all, actually. This was very much expected.
00:41The past two weeks, Denmark has been butting, basically, with the expectation that the Danish PM Mette Frederiksen would call
00:50a snap election.
00:51And the reason for that is that President Trump and his reinstated desire to acquire Greenland, the semi-autonomous part
01:00of the Kingdom of Denmark,
01:01has been political rocket fuel for the Danish PM.
01:05She has skyrocketed in the polls, whereas, you know, just a few months ago, she was really, really, really in
01:14a bad state in the polls.
01:16She was absolutely doomed to lose the next election.
01:21President Trump's stance on Greenland and the way that Mette Frederiksen has stood up to him has really made her
01:29gain in popularity over these past few months.
01:32She certainly came across as a very forthright and resolute character when she appeared over the Greenland issue.
01:39And, of course, in any talks involving Trump and answering any questions on the issues.
01:44What is she actually hoping for from this election, clearly to cement her position?
01:49Oh, very much so.
01:50And I think perhaps she's also hoping to be able to form a government that's a bit more stable than
01:56the one she has ordered,
01:58the one that she dissolved this morning in Copenhagen.
02:01The current coalition that was dissolved today is the Social Democrats, which is Mette Frederiksen's party,
02:08and two censor-right parties.
02:10And I think it's fair to say that they have not always agreed on everything,
02:15whereas, you know, she will probably have a bit of an easier ride.
02:17If she manages to get a majority, I don't think she'll get an absolute majority.
02:23Nothing in the polls suggests that.
02:24But she will be able to form a government, the polls say,
02:28with perhaps two parties that are left-hand side of the political aisle here in Denmark.
02:34And that will give her a little bit more of an easier ride in the political climate in Denmark.
02:40But nothing is certain.
02:42And, you know, we all know that memories can be very short when it comes to showing up at the
02:48polling station.
02:50So, you know, nothing is a done deal at the moment.
02:54Nothing is a done deal, as you say.
02:56And there's also a saying that it isn't foreign policy that decides elections.
03:00It's domestic matters.
03:02What's on the agenda there in Denmark?
03:04What are the kind of things that Frederiksen will have to sort of edge towards in order to get the
03:09voters on her side?
03:11Well, the Danish PM today, when she announced this snap election,
03:17pointed out a few things that she would like to work on if she is able to form a new
03:22government.
03:23She talked about strengthening the welfare state of Denmark.
03:27She talked about introducing a wealth tax for the very rich things, about 20,000 of those.
03:35And she also talked about security.
03:38She talked about strengthening the ties to Europe and making sure that Russia does not in any way, shape or
03:44form gain a foothold anywhere in Europe.
03:48So and those are the issues she wants to campaign on.
03:52And I think that it's fair to say that those are also the issues that the Danes worry about.
03:57You know, prices on food is something that needs to be addressed.
04:01And she's clearly stated that she wants to do that, too.
04:04She has already launched some initiatives in order to do that, to make it a little bit less painful when
04:11you go and shop at a supermarket.
04:12And I think the Danes are very much in line with the Danish PM when she discusses these issues.
04:19I think there is a big understanding and agreement amongst the Danes that the security, the welfare state and the
04:28economy are the main factors in this campaign.
04:31Trina, thank you for that very thorough briefing of the situation.
04:33Snap elections, which didn't surprise anybody, you tell us.
04:35But nonetheless, it is happening.
04:37Trina Villeman there joining us from Copenhagen and I'm hoping that we'll be speaking more between now and Election Day,
04:42March 24th.
04:43Trina, thanks once again.
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