Danish King Tasks Defense Minister With Forming Center-Right Government

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stepped down after two months of unsuccessful negotiations to form a coalition government following the country's March election. King Frederick X has now asked Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, leader of the Venstre party, to begin forming a center-right government.

The move signals a potential shift to the right in Danish politics. Frederiksen called a snap election last year after her popularity rose during a public defense of Greenland against statements from President Trump about acquiring the Danish territory.

While her party secured enough votes to declare victory in the March election, it fell short of a governing majority. She has led Denmark since 2019 and had been seeking a third term. After the election, Frederiksen spent two months attempting to build a coalition but was unable to reach agreement with potential partners.

She presented her resignation to King Frederick X and served as caretaker prime minister during the negotiations. On Friday, the royal household announced that the king had tasked Poulsen with forming a new government at the request of several center-right to far-right leaning parties.

The parties supporting the mandate include the liberals, moderates, conservatives and the Danish People’s Party. Under the king's instructions, Poulsen is expected to explore a government that excludes both the Social Democrats and the Moderates. Poulsen has a two-week deadline to form the government and began meetings with all parties in parliament on Monday.

“I am focused on securing a political foundation that allows us to invest in our children, health, and elderly at the same time as we make it cheaper to be Danish,” Poulsen wrote in a post on X. He told reporters he was approaching the task with “great humility” and acknowledged the difficulty of building a political foundation.

A government report showed that 72 percent of convictions under Denmark’s “gang section” of the criminal code between 2018 and 2025 involved immigrants or descendants from non-Western countries. The data covered 213 total convictions, with 54 of Danish origin, 36 immigrants from non-Western countries and 117 descendants of non-Western immigrants.

The figures were released by the Ministry of Justice in response to a parliamentary question from Conservative MP Mai Mercado and first reported by Berlingske. Frederiksen had adopted tougher immigration policies in recent years, moving traditionally hardline positions into mainstream discourse.

The country has a population of approximately six million. Poulsen’s negotiations are expected to address issues including investment in public services and cost of living measures.