King Frederik gives Frederiksen another chance to form coalition

King Frederik X returned Mette Frederiksen to the center of Denmark’s government-formation crisis on Saturday, after center-right coalition talks collapsed and left the Folketing still without a workable majority path forward. The move gave the caretaker prime minister another chance to assemble a government after her first attempt fell apart and a replacement effort built around Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen also broke down.

The latest failure underscored how much the March 24 election fractured Danish politics. The 179-seat Folketing is split among 12 parties, leaving no single bloc able to govern easily on its own and forcing leaders into intricate bargaining over posts, policy and power-sharing. Frederiksen now has to look again toward Liberal leader Lars Lokke Rasmussen and the Moderate Party, whose backing is seen as pivotal to any deal that can survive the chamber.

Frederiksen is trying to hold onto a third consecutive term even after a sharp drop in support. The Social Democrats won 38 seats, down from 50 in 2022, and took 21.9 percent of the vote, their worst election result since 1903. That loss weakened Frederiksen’s leverage, but her party still remains Denmark’s largest, which is why King Frederik X turned back to her after the center-right option failed to produce an alternative majority.

The stalled talks have already pushed Denmark into unusual political limbo. POLITICO said Sunday marked two months without a government, the longest such stretch in Danish history. That delay matters because the country is not just managing domestic coalition math, but also policy decisions on defense, the economy and its relationship with Europe at a time when security concerns are rising.

The deadlock has also collided with foreign-policy pressure over Greenland, where tensions with the Trump administration have added urgency to a government that cannot yet fully take shape. If Frederiksen can assemble a majority or even a tolerable minority arrangement, her party may still anchor the political center despite its losses. If she fails, Denmark risks a longer spell of caretaker rule, with major decisions about security and Arctic policy left in suspension.