11 quotes on the Danish election

Denmark goes to the polls on Thursday, June 18, in what is shaping up to be one of the country’s closest elections in some time. Some opinion polls give the opposition centre-right bloc a lead of up to four points, while others show the minority government in the lead.

Here are 11 quotes on the key issues and personalities behind the election:

On immigration

1. “We want to get a grip on the immigration policy so that the influx of asylum seekers and people coming here through family reunification is brought under control.”

Opposition leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen

2. “Denmark is on a political trajectory where people are very skeptical about a European community that can’t handle the migration of workers and the pressure of immigrants and refugees. The political direction will be the same whether it’s a red or blue government, but there might be more draconian measures from the right.”

Kasper Fogh Hansen, a political commentator and former Social Democratic campaign adviser.

3. “I am saddened that the focus has gone from providing persecuted people protection in Europe and Denmark to trying to avoid that that protection happens here. It is a frustrating development in every way.”

General secretary for the Danish Refugee Council, Andreas Kamm.

On economic growth:

4. “The Danes feel like there are jobs out there, and the Danish companies are expanding, so I think we can conclude that we are no longer in a crisis – the economy is growing.”

Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs, Morten Østergaard.

5. “Denmark has the biggest public sector in the West. Both the left bloc and the right-wing populist Danish People’s Party want it to grow, now that the economy is recovering. So when Lars Løkke Rasmussen is speaking of “zero growth”, he looks like the killer of the welfare system.”

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

On Denmark in the EU:

6. “The willingness to rethink Danish EU policy may be the biggest difference between right and left, as the dominant political agendas look very much the same.” BBC news

7. “We have a historic opportunity to reform the EU and give the country more autonomy . If Denmark and other like-minded countries back the British efforts, we can in the long term ensure that we get more Denmark – and less EU . We must act now.  It’s just another reason why it’s crucial that we get a new government.” Peter Skaarup, member of the Danish People’s Party.

On the two bloc leaders:

8. “We can choose between two leaders with a character problem… Lars Løkke Rasmussen apparently doesn’t have any personal character, while Helle Thorning-Schmidt doesn’t have any political character.”

  Danish newspaper Politiken in an editorial after the election was called.

9. “(Helle Thorning-Schmidt) is… very good at one liners, very good at making short statements and this is of course an advantage in an election campaign.” Peter Nedergaard, political science professor at the University of Copenhagen.

10. “She [Helle Thorning-Schmidt] has taken her party to the right policy-wise, her leadership has been a shift for the Social Democrats.”

Rune Stubager, political science professor at Aarhus University.

11. “Of course Danes see [Lars Løkke Rasmussen] as problematic but on the other hand they see him as a really professional politician.”

Peter Nedergaard, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen.

The main parties in the red bloc:

• The Social Democrats (A), led by the incumbent prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
• Radikale, the Danish Social Liberal party (B). Leader: Morten Østergaard.
• The leftwing Socialist People’s party (F). Leader: Pia Olsen Dyhr.
• The socialist Red-Green Alliance (Ø).
• The Alternative (Å), a green party founded in 2013.

Blue bloc

• The centre-right Venstre (V), currently the main opposition party. Led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
• The rightwing Danish People’s party (O). Leader: Kristian Thulesen Dahl.
• The Liberal Alliance (I). Leader: Anders Samuelsen.
• The Conservative People’s party (C). Leader: Søren Pape Poulsen.
• The Christian Democrats (K). Leader: Stig Grenov.

Author: Jenny Soffel is Website Editor at the World Economic Forum.

Image: Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt speaks during a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark May 27, 2015.  REUTERS/Mathias Loevgreen Bojesen/Scanpix Denmark