Prime Minister of Denmark facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Denmark
State Flag of Denmark
Coat of arms of Denmark
Incumbent Mette Frederiksen since 27 June 2019
Executive branch of the Danish Government Ministry of the State
Style	His/her Excellency (diplomatic, outside Denmark)
Member of	Council of State Cabinet European Council
Residence	Marienborg
Seat	Christiansborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Appointer	The Monarch Based on Appointee's ability to gain majority support in the Folketing
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Privy Councillor
Formation	22 March 1848; 177 years ago (22 March 1848)
First holder	Adam Wilhelm Moltke
Succession	by the 2nd highest ranking Privy counsellor
Deputy	Permanent secretary to the prime minister
Salary	1,458,000 DKK (€195,900) annually

The prime minister of Denmark is the main leader of the government in the Danish Realm. This realm includes Denmark itself, plus Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Before the modern prime minister role, the king or queen was the main leader. They held all the power. In 1849, Denmark got a new Constitution. This changed things, creating a constitutional monarchy. This meant the monarch's powers were limited, and the job of prime minister was created. The first person to hold this important job was Adam Wilhelm Moltke.

The prime minister leads a group of top government officials called a cabinet. The monarch officially appoints this cabinet. However, in reality, the prime minister is chosen based on how much support they have in the Folketing, which is Denmark's Parliament.

Since the early 1900s, no single political party has won enough seats to have a majority in the Folketing. Because of this, the prime minister usually leads a group of different political parties working together. This is called a coalition government.

The current prime minister of Denmark is Mette Frederiksen. She has been in this role since June 27, 2019. Her current government, formed in 2022, includes the Social Democrats, Venstre, and the Moderates parties.

History of the Prime Minister Role
What the Prime Minister Does
Where the Prime Minister Works and Lives
List of Prime Ministers
See also

History of the Prime Minister Role

Early Leaders in Denmark

From about 1699 to 1730, the top government official who wasn't the king was called the "Grand Chancellor." From 1730 to 1848, this role was known as "Minister of State." These titles were like early versions of the prime minister. However, these officials didn't formally lead the government. The king was the absolute ruler until a new, more liberal Constitution was introduced in the 1800s.

How the Prime Minister's Job Began

The job of prime minister started with the new constitutional monarchy in 1848. This was officially made part of the Danish Constitution on June 5, 1849. The new Constitution set up a parliamentary system. It created a new two-chamber parliament called the Rigsdagen. It also created a Council Presidium, led by a council president. This Council Presidium is seen as the start of today's Prime Minister's Office.

The first council president was Adam Wilhelm Moltke. He took office on March 22, 1848. Moltke and the next two leaders after him also held the title of premierminister, which means "prime minister." From 1855 onwards, the prime minister was simply called the "council president." Carl Christian Hall was the first prime minister to lead a political party, the National Liberal Party.

The Modern Prime Minister's Office

The modern Prime Minister's Office officially began on January 1, 1914. Before this, the Council Presidium was an informal group. In 1918, under Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle, the title changed again to "Minister of State." This is the title used today, similar to Norway and Sweden.

By the mid-1800s, strong political parties had formed. Most prime ministers were leaders of either the Venstre (meaning "Left") or Højre (meaning "Right") parties. By 1924, the Social Democrats became the largest party, and Højre disappeared.

During the Occupation of Denmark in World War II, the governments led by prime ministers Vilhelm Buhl and Erik Scavenius worked with the Nazi occupiers. On August 29, 1943, the Danish government resigned because it refused to give in to more demands from Nazi Germany. All government tasks were then handled by the permanent secretaries of different departments. This continued until Denmark was freed on May 5, 1945. Since King Christian X never officially accepted the government's resignation, it technically existed until a new cabinet was formed in May 1945.

The 1900s mostly saw Social Democratic prime ministers leading left-wing coalitions. They were in power almost continuously from 1924 until 1982. The first prime minister from the Conservative People's Party, Poul Schlüter, took office in 1982. He led a large center-right coalition. This government lasted for eleven years until 1993, making it the longest center-right government in Denmark since the 1920s.

In November 2001, the left-wing coalition lost seats to a right-wing coalition led by Venstre. This ended their eight years in power. Venstre became the largest party since 1924. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the leader of Venstre, was prime minister from 2001 to April 2009. His government was a coalition of Venstre and the Conservative People's Party, with support from the Danish People's Party. On April 5, 2009, Rasmussen resigned to become Secretary General of NATO. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who was the finance minister and vice president of Venstre, then became prime minister.

After the September 2011 election, the right-wing lost by a small amount to the center-left coalition. Helle Thorning-Schmidt became prime minister on October 3, 2011. Her government first included the Social Democrats, the Danish Social Liberal Party, and the Socialist People's Party. After losing the June 2015 election, Thorning-Schmidt resigned. Lars Løkke Rasmussen became prime minister again, leading a government made up only of ministers from Venstre.

The Social Democrats returned to power after the 2019 election. Mette Frederiksen then became prime minister.

What the Prime Minister Does

The Constitution of Denmark says that the monarch (the head of state) has the highest power. They use this power through their ministers. However, the monarch's role today is mostly symbolic. The monarch formally appoints and removes ministers, including the prime minister. But any action the monarch takes needs to be signed by a minister. This means the power to appoint ministers is really with the prime minister, not the monarch.

Even though the prime minister is the country's top politician, they don't have as much power as some other prime ministers in Europe. This is mainly because it's very hard for one party to win a majority of seats in the Folketing (Parliament). So, the government is almost always a coalition of parties or a minority government (where one party leads but doesn't have a majority). No Danish party has won a majority since 1901. Because their powers are limited, the prime minister is seen as "first among equals" (primus inter pares). Also, Danish prime ministers can't always be sure their plans will pass. They often have to work hard to get enough support for each new law.

The monarch officially appoints all cabinet ministers freely, according to the Constitution. But in practice, monarchs only choose the prime minister after a leader has gained support from a majority in the Folketing. This has been the custom since 1920. This means the monarch cannot appoint a new prime minister who they expect would quickly lose a vote of no confidence. Since no party has held a majority in over a century, parties form alliances. Usually, the Social Democrats team up with center-left parties, and Venstre with center-right parties.

After elections, if there isn't a clear leader, the monarch holds a "king/queen's meeting." After discussions, the leader of the largest alliance (usually the Social Democrats or Venstre) is chosen as the prime minister-elect. This new prime minister-elect, along with leaders from smaller parties, chooses ministers to form a new coalition government. This new government is then presented to the monarch. The government can start its work without a special vote of confidence. It can stay in office as long as it doesn't lose a vote of no confidence.

The prime minister leads the weekly cabinet meetings and decides what topics will be discussed. The prime minister also has a special government office called the "Ministry of the State of Denmark" (or Prime Minister's Office). This office mainly acts as a support team for the prime minister. It also handles special legal issues not covered by other ministries. These include Greenland's and the Faroe Islands' relationship with the monarchy, media contact with the state, and the number of ministers in the government.

The prime minister can choose to dissolve the Folketing and call a new election. This is formally done by the monarch. The prime minister must call a new election within four years of the last one. However, the prime minister has no say over Denmark's self-governing regions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Folketing, on the other hand, does have some power here, as laws passed by the Faroese and Greenlandic parliaments must be approved by the Folketing.

There are ways to check the prime minister's power. If the Folketing decides it no longer trusts the prime minister, the prime minister must either resign with the whole cabinet or call a new election. If a prime minister resigns, dies, or is forced out, the monarch asks them (or the next available leader) to keep the government running temporarily until a new leader is chosen.

Where the Prime Minister Works and Lives

The government offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, are located inside Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. The Folketing (Parliament) and the courts are also in this palace.

The prime minister's official summer home is Marienborg. This is an old estate from the 1700s that the state bought. It's located by Lake Bagsværd in Kgs. Lyngby, about 15 kilometers north of Copenhagen. Marienborg has been used as a summer home by ten prime ministers since 1960. It's often used for government meetings and informal talks between the government, businesses, and other groups in Denmark.