Frederiksen set to start a third term as Danish prime minister thanks to firm position on Greenland
Mette Frederiksen is set to begin a third term as Denmark’s prime minister by leading a center-left coalition of four parties
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Mette Frederiksen is set to begin a third term as Denmark’s prime minister, during which she is expected to maintain a firm stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions for Greenland, the kingdom’s semiautonomous territory, and continue supporting Ukraine.
With another term, the 48-year-old Social Democrat joins the ranks of Europe’s longest-serving and most experienced leaders. Frederiksen has led the European Union and NATO member country since mid-2019.
She is likely to press ahead with efforts to strengthen Denmark’s defenses and deepen cooperation with European allies, as the United States signals a reduced military role in Europe. Frederiksen has been among Europe’s strongest supporters of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022.
The prime minister's popularity among EU peers and her “really standing there against Trump” on Greenland are major factors behind Frederiksen's electoral success, Carolin Hjort Rapp, a political scientist from the University of Copenhagen, told The Associated Press.
In early January, Trump renewed calls for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under U.S. control, but leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted on the territory's right to self-determination.
The world order established after World War II is undergoing major change, according to a 70-page document outlining the new government's vision.
“The Russian threat to Europe and the simultaneous uncertainty from the American side are significantly changing the security situation," it said.
Frederiksen told a news conference that she was “happy and proud” that Denmark now ranks among NATO’s top spenders and emphasized that the country would remain committed to this course.
Denmark spent 3.2% of gross domestic product on defense in 2025, an almost threefold increase compared to 2022.
At home, Frederiksen faces a complicated political landscape, but her new center-left alliance may allow her to move away from unpopular conservative policies pushed by her previous government, which was a grand coalition of both left and right.
The new government, created after two months of negotiations, will include Frederiksen’s Social Democrats, the centrist Moderates led by outgoing Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Green Left (SF) and the Danish Social Liberal Party, the Danish Royal House said in a statement on Monday.
Frederiksen and Rasmussen survived the March general election, Hjort Rapp said, because of their prominent role in the Greenland crisis.
“They kind of survived, but at same time the voters were not satisfied with what the government had been doing before, so they wanted to move to other parties," the political scientist said. “You see smaller parties that gained way more votes than before,” she added, referring to parties on both the left and the far-right.
The governing vision unveiled on Tuesday afternoon includes multiple commitments, such as ambitious climate measures, reducing social inequality and tax relief for companies. In specific nods to demands of coalition partners, the government plans to make pig production more sustainable, introduce free dental care in the next few years and reduce value-added tax for some foods. A social media ban for kids under 15 was also mentioned.
Under pressure from a rising far-right, Frederiksen's previous Cabinet had veered to the right. Frederiksen announced proposals that include a potential “emergency brake” on asylum and tighter controls on criminals who lack legal residence. Her government already had unveiled a plan to allow the deportation of foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year in prison for serious crimes.
Her government also removed a popular national holiday, the Great Prayer Day, to finance higher defense spending. Danish media reported on Tuesday that the holiday might be restored by the new government in the future.
In her second term, support for Frederiksen waned as the cost of living rose. But she enjoyed a bump in popularity as the government navigated the crisis over Trump’s designs on Greenland, which culminated in January in a short-lived threat to impose tariffs on European nations that opposed his call for U.S. control of the vast Arctic island.
“She is a good crisis prime minister,” said Joachin Luther Rothenborg, an artist from Copenhagen.
Rothenborg said that Frederiksen was less good when it comes to “the level where everybody, the normal people, have their problems.”
Bigitte Christensen, a fashion designer from Copenhagen, said that “I think that’s what we are here in Denmark: we have the welfare, as we call it."
She said the fact that Denmark now had a center-left government gave her hope.
“Of course, it’s a lot of our tax money going for that, but I appreciate it very much, because the broader shoulders should help or be there for those who aren’t so lucky" she said.
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Claudia Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland.
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