Denmark Democrats

{{Infobox political party

| country = Denmark

| abbreviation = DD
Æ{{efn|Official party letter on voting ballot}}

| colorcode = {{Political party data|color}}

| name = Denmark Democrats – Inger Støjberg

| native_name = {{lang|da|Danmarksdemokraterne – Inger Støjberg}}

| logo = Danmarksdemokraterne 2024 logo.svg

| logo_size = 250

| chairperson = Inger Støjberg

| founder = Inger Støjberg

| leader1_title = Parliamentary leader

| leader1_name = Peter Skaarup

| foundation = {{start date and age|2022|06|23|df=y}}

| split = Venstre
Danish People's Party

| headquarters =

| ideology = Conservatism
Right-wing populism

| position = Right-wing to far-right{{refn|}}

| membership_year = 2022

| colours = {{color box|#9e292e }} Red

{{color box|{{party color|Denmark Democrats}}}} Blue

| regional = Nordic Freedom{{efn|Part of the Nordic Freedom subgroup within the ECR group but not part of the Nordic Freedom group within the Nordic Council.}}

| europarl = European Conservatives and Reformists Group

| seats1_title = Folketing

| seats1 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-lower-house}}{{Efn|Only 175 of the 179 seats in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, are obtainable by Danish political parties as Greenland and the Faroe Islands are assigned two seats each due to their status as territories in the Kingdom of Denmark.}}

| seats2_title = European Parliament

| seats2 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|EP}}

| seats3_title = Municipal councils

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|36|2436|hex={{party color|Denmark Democrats}}}}

| seats4_title = Regions

| seats4 = {{composition bar|2|205|hex={{party color|Denmark Democrats}}}}

| website = {{Political party data|website}}

| symbol = Æ

}}

The Denmark Democrats ({{langx|da|Danmarksdemokraterne}} {{IPA|da|ˈtænmɑɡ̊sde̝moˌkʰʁɑˀtɐnə|}}, DD) is a conservative{{Cite web |title=The Denmark Democrats |url=https://dipd.dk/en/about-dipd/parties/the-denmark-democrats |website=Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy}} and right-wing populist{{cite book|author=Eric S. Einhorn|chapter=Scandinavia|editor1=Erik Jones|editor2=Masha Hedberg|title=Europe Today: A Twenty-First Century Introduction|year=2023|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-15-3811094-2|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvm0EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|page=124}} political party in Denmark. The party was founded in June 2022 by Inger Støjberg,{{Cite web |date=2022-06-23 |title=Inger Støjberg bekræfter: Stifter parti - TV 2 |url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2022-06-23-inger-stoejberg-bekraefter-stifter-parti |access-date=2022-06-23 |publisher=TV 2 |language=da-DK}}{{Cite web |last1=Synnestvedt |first1=Anne Meisner |last2=Schulz |first2=Rasmus Bragh |date=2022-06-23 |title=Bent Winther: Med Støjbergs nye parti tegner sig et kaos i blå blok, som er næsten totalt |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/content/item/1656808 |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Berlingske |language=da}} and is officially titled Denmark Democrats{{snd}}Inger Støjberg (Danmarksdemokraterne{{snd}}Inger Støjberg).{{Cite web |title=Om partiet |url=https://www.vaelgererklaering.dk/om-partiet?election=dk&party=b4566ab5-d699-48c5-829c-3f5b00a4f66d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622215727/https://www.vaelgererklaering.dk/om-partiet?election=dk&party=b4566ab5-d699-48c5-829c-3f5b00a4f66d |archive-date=2022-06-22 |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Vælgererklæring.dk |language=da}} The party is currently in opposition to the second Frederiksen government.

History

File:Denmark Democrats logo.png

File:Logo of the Denmark Democrats.svg

The party was founded in June 2022 by Inger Støjberg who had served variously as the minister for immigration, housing and gender equality in the Folketing for the Venstre party before she was impeached for misconduct in office after separating families in migrant centres and was accused of party disloyalty.{{Citation|author=Martin Borre|title=Folketinget stemmer om historisk rigsretssag mod Støjberg – følg med her|newspaper=Berlingske.dk |date=2 February 2021|url=https://www.berlingske.dk/content/item/1538037|language=da|access-date=2 February 2021}} According to Støjberg, her new movement would be a right-wing party with a strict immigration policy, but at the time of its founding there was no actual party platform.[https://nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2022-06-23-her-er-inger-stoejbergs-nye-politik "Her er Inger Støjbergs nye politik"]. TV 2. Retrieved 2022-06-23. In July, the party was formally registered after obtaining the necessary voter declarations on 1 July, eight days after the party was founded.{{Cite web |title=Runder 20.182 vælgererklæringer: Støjbergs parti kan stille op til næste folketingsvalg |url=https://www.altinget.dk/artikel/runder-20182-bekraeftede-vaelgererklaeringer-stoejbergs-parti-kan-stille-op-til-naeste-folketingsvalg |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=Altinget.dk |date=July 2022 |language=da-DK}}{{cite news |author=Ritzau |date=6 July 2022 |title=Inger Støjberg har ansøgt om partibogstavet Æ |work=Jyllands-Posten |url=https://jyllands-posten.dk/politik/ECE14218479/inger-stoejberg-har-ansoegt-om-partibogstavet-ae/ |access-date=7 July 2022}}

That same month, Members of the Folketing Peter Skaarup,{{cite news | url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/peter-skaarup-forlader-dansk-folkeparti-skifter-til-inger-stoejbergs-nye-parti | title =Peter Skaarup forlader Dansk Folkeparti: Vil være kandidat i Inger Støjbergs nye parti | author1=Morten Henriksen | author2=Rasmus Lindegård Hansen | author3=Jeppe Ørregaard | date=2022-06-24 | accessdate=2022-06-25 | publisher=DR}} Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl,{{cite news | url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2022-06-24-jens-henrik-thulesen-dahl-melder-sig-ind-i-stoejbergs-nye-parti | title=Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl melder sig ind i Støjbergs nye parti | author=Laura Kongsmark Schuldt | date=2022-06-24 | accessdate=2022-06-25 | publisher=TV 2}} Bent Bøgsted,{{cite news | url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/regionale/nordjylland/endnu-en-tidligere-dfer-melder-sig-klar-danmarksdemokraterne | title=Endnu en tidligere DF'er melder sig klar for Danmarksdemokraterne | author=Klaus Videbæk | date=2022-06-25 | accessdate=2022-06-25 | publisher=DR}} and Hans Kristian Skibby{{cite news | url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/tidligere-dfhans-kristian-skibby-er-vil-ogsaa-vaere-med-i-stoejbergs-parti | title=Tidligere DF'er Hans Kristian Skibby vil også være med i Støjbergs parti | author=Maja Lærke Maach | date=2022-06-25 | accessdate=2022-06-25 | publisher=DR}} announced that they wished to join the Denmark Democrats. These four were originally elected to the Folketing for the Danish People's Party (DPP) but had since become independents before joining the party.See

[https://www.ft.dk/medlemmer/mf/p/peter-skaarup Biography of Peter Skaarup on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)].
[https://www.ft.dk/medlemmer/mf/j/jens-henrik-thulesen-dahl Biography of Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)].
[https://www.ft.dk/medlemmer/mf/b/bent-boegsted Biography of Bent Bøgsted on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)].
[https://www.ft.dk/medlemmer/mf/h/hans-kristian-skibby Biography of Hans Kristian Skibby on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)]. Skaarup was admitted as a member on 28 July 2022, giving the party its first seat in the Folketing.{{cite news | title=Peter Skaarup er blevet medlem af Danmarksdemokraterne | work=Politiken | date=2022-07-28 | url=https://politiken.dk/indland/art8898156/Peter-Skaarup-er-blevet-medlem-af-Danmarksdemokraterne | language=da | access-date=2022-07-28 |author=Ritzau}}

In August 2022, nine local councilors defected to the party, including former local members of the Conservative People's Party.{{cite news| url=https://www.altinget.dk/navnenyt/danmarksdemokraterne-er-nu-repraesenteret-i-ni-kommuner | title=Danmarksdemokraterne er nu repræsenteret i ni kommuner | date=17 August 2022 | access-date=18 August 2022 | author1=Kasper Valentin Poulsen | author2=Andreas Esbjørnsen | work=altinget.dk}}{{cite news| url=https://www.netavisen.nu/politisk-bombe-konservatives-byraadsmedlem-lars-bregnbak-traeder-ud-af-byraadet/ | title=Politisk bombe: Konservatives Byrådsmedlem Lars Bregnbak træder ud af byrådet | date=17 August 2022 | access-date=18 August 2022 | author=Allan Andersen | work=Netavisen Gribskov}}

In the 2022 Danish general election held on 1 November 2022, the party won 8.1% of the vote and 14 seats, making them the fifth largest party in the Folketing along with the Liberal Alliance.{{Cite web |title=Valgresultater 2022 - Mandatfordeling & Personlige stemmer {{!}} DR |url=https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/folketingsvalg/resultater |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=www.dr.dk |language=da-dk}}

Ideology and platform

The party is positioned on the right-wing{{cite news |date=1 November 2022 |title=No clear winner in Danish parliamentary election exit polls |language=en-us |work=PBS NewsHour |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/no-clear-winner-in-danish-parliamentary-election-exit-polls}}{{cite news |last1=Nielsen |first1=Jasmina |last2=Kwai |first2=Isabella |date=2 November 2022 |title=Denmark's Center-Left Coalition Wins Election Majority |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/europe/denmark-election-social-democrats.html}} of the political spectrum. Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy branded the party as "a conservative party with a strict immigration policy and a focus on the balance between rural and urban areas as its primary key issues." Journalist Theodoros Benakis described it as right-wing populist and anti-immigration,{{cite news | author=Jyllands-Posten | title=Overblik: Det vil Støjberg og Danmarksdemokraterne | work= | date=23 June 2022 | url=https://jyllands-posten.dk/politik/ECE14180728/overblik-det-vil-stoejberg-og-danmarksdemokraterne/ | language=da | access-date=17 August 2022}} while the party has also been described as far-right.{{cite news |last1=Mortensen |first1=Nikolaj Houmann |title=Denmark set to keep anti-immigrant policy regardless of vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/10/25/denmark-set-to-keep-anti-migrant-policy-regardless-of-vote-result |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Amy |title=Election will show if Denmark's rebellious streak veers right |url=https://youthjournalism.org/election-will-show-if-denmarks-rebellious-streak-veers-right/ |access-date=6 February 2023 |work=Youth Journalism International |date=31 October 2022}} Foreign policy-wise it has supported Ukraine against Russia, with Støjberg visiting Kyiv together with Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and voting with the government for establishing a Ukraine Fund.{{Cite web |title=The Danish Government enters broad agreement to establish Ukraine Fund in 2023 |url=https://graekenland.um.dk/en/news/the-danish-government-enters-broad-agreement-to-establish-ukraine-fund-in-2023 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=graekenland.um.dk |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-07 |title=I et nattog til Kyiv var Inger Støjberg for en gangs skyld enig med Pia Olsen Dyhr - Altinget |url=https://www.altinget.dk/artikel/paa-politisk-haandvaerkertur-til-kiev |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.altinget.dk}}

In the interview in which party founder Støjberg announced her leadership of the party, she stated: "I think that what is missing is a borgerlig [bourgeois or middle-class] party that takes care of the interests of the majority of people. And that has a clear view of everything that goes on outside of Copenhagen. I think that the connecting lines between Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark are becoming weak."{{cite news | author=Ole Dall | title=Inger Støjberg i sit første interview som partileder: - Der mangler fokus på Danmark uden for København | work=Skive Folkeblad | date=23 June 2022 | url=https://www.skivefolkeblad.dk/artikel/84845961-3885-4260-9556-33180ede7fdf/ | access-date=30 June 2022 |url-access=subscription}} She also stated one of the main focuses of the party would be to review Denmark's immigration policy.[https://nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2022-06-23-her-er-inger-stoejbergs-nye-politik "Her er Inger Støjbergs nye politik"]. TV 2. Hentet 23 June 2022.

On its website and early policy brief, the party seeks to improve conditions for the elderly, young people, and small and medium-sized companies. It also aims to combat what it describes as overbearing bureaucracy from the European Union (EU) on Denmark and wants to further decentralize power to regions outside of the capital. It also wants to increase funding for the police and calls for compulsory policies for immigrants to adapt to Danish culture.{{cite web |url=https://danmarksdemokraterne.dk/parti/program/ |title=A good future |access-date=2022-08-08}} In an updated policy platform, the Denmark Democrats stated its objectives to be removing all EU influence on Danish pension, tax and maternity leave policies, tougher regulation on car leasing companies, tax deductions for workers who commute above certain distances, removing VAT on energy bills, changes to the Danish education system to encourage more vocational training, and reforms and cuts to Denmark's foreign aid and government funded arts budgets.{{cite web |url=https://danmarksdemokraterne.dk/parti/program/ |title=A good future |access-date=2022-12-15}}

Election results

=Parliament=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
Election ! Leader ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! +/- ! Government
2022 \|Inger Støjberg \| 286,796 \| 8.12 (#5) \| {{Composition bar\|14\|179\|{{party color\|Denmark Democrats}}}} \| New \| {{no2\|Opposition}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"

Election

! Leader

! Votes

! %

! Seats

! +/-

! Government

2022

|Inger Støjberg

| 286,796

| 8.12 (#5)

| {{Composition bar|14|179|{{party color|Denmark Democrats}}}}

| New

| {{no2|Opposition}}

=European Parliament=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Year ! List leader ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! +/– ! EP Group
2024 \| Kristoffer Hjort Storm \| 180,836 \| 7.39 (#5) \| {{Composition bar\|1\|15\|{{party color\|Denmark Democrats}}}} \| New \| ECR

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Year

! List leader

! Votes

! %

! Seats

! +/–

! EP Group

2024

| Kristoffer Hjort Storm

| 180,836

| 7.39 (#5)