Denmark Democrats
The Denmark Democrats (Danmarksdemokraterne) is a conservative political party in Denmark, established in June 2022 by Inger Støjberg following her departure from the Liberal Party amid legal controversies related to her tenure as immigration minister.[1][2] The party prioritizes a stringent immigration policy aimed at safeguarding the Danish welfare state and cultural cohesion, coupled with efforts to achieve fiscal balance, enhance local healthcare accessibility, and strengthen domestic production sectors.[3][4] In the 2022 Folketing election, its inaugural contest, the party captured 14 seats, positioning it as the fifth-largest parliamentary group in opposition to the center-left government. This breakthrough reflected voter dissatisfaction with established parties on migration and economic issues, drawing support particularly from former backers of the Danish People's Party while carving a niche through Støjberg's emphasis on pragmatic nationalism.[5]
History
Founding in 2022
The Denmark Democrats (Danmarksdemokraterne) was established in June 2022 by Inger Støjberg, a former deputy leader of the Venstre party and Minister for Immigration and Integration from 2015 to 2019.[1] Støjberg registered the party association on 8 June 2022, following her resignation from Venstre on 4 February 2021, which preceded an impeachment trial over her 2016 administrative order to separate asylum-seeking couples involving minors.[6][7] Støjberg had been convicted in December 2021 of maladministration in connection with the separations directive, receiving a 60-day sentence served via electronic monitoring at home from January to February 2022.[8] Despite this, she pursued the new venture amid ongoing public support and criticism of established parties' immigration stances, with the party's name—Danmarksdemokraterne – Inger Støjberg—approved by the Ministry of Business for trademark purposes shortly before public launch.[9] On 23 June 2022, Støjberg publicly confirmed the party's formation at a press conference, stating her aim to address voter concerns on national sovereignty, welfare sustainability, and border controls not adequately met by Venstre or others. The Election Board (Valgnævnet) approved the party's nomination eligibility on 21 June 2022, enabling its rapid entry into the upcoming parliamentary contest.[10] This founding marked the emergence of a self-described national conservative platform, drawing on Støjberg's profile to consolidate right-leaning discontent.[11]2022 Folketing election and parliamentary entry
The 2022 Danish general election was held on 1 November 2022, following a snap call by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on 5 October amid tensions with her coalition's supporting parties.[12] The Denmark Democrats, established only five months earlier in June 2022 by former Venstre politician Inger Støjberg, participated as a new entrant emphasizing national conservatism, strict immigration controls, and welfare prioritization for Danish citizens.[1] In the election, the party received 286,796 votes, equivalent to 8.1% of the valid nationwide vote share among the 3,533,951 total valid votes cast.[13] This performance translated into 14 seats in the 179-member Folketing, achieved through a combination of direct constituency wins and leveling seats under Denmark's proportional representation system with a 2% national threshold.[14] The result positioned the Denmark Democrats as the fifth-largest party, contributing to the right-wing "blue bloc" which secured 72 seats overall but fell short of a majority against the center-left "red bloc's" 90 seats (including overhang adjustments).[15] Voter turnout was 84.1%, reflecting sustained public engagement despite the short campaign period.[14] The party's breakthrough drew support primarily from disillusioned voters of established right-wing parties, notably the Danish People's Party (which fell to 2.7% and 5 seats) and Venstre, amid concerns over immigration and cultural preservation—issues Støjberg highlighted in her platform.[16] Inger Støjberg topped the party's personal vote count and secured a seat in the Østjyllands Storkreds constituency.[17] Post-election, the Denmark Democrats aligned with the blue bloc in parliamentary votes but remained outside the minority government formed by Frederiksen's Social Democrats in a centrist coalition with Venstre and Moderaterne, focusing initially on shadow opposition roles in immigration and justice policy areas.[18] This entry marked the first parliamentary representation for the party, elevating its influence in debates on national sovereignty and fiscal conservatism.[19]Post-2022 developments and internal challenges
Following their entry into the Folketing with 8 seats in the November 1, 2022, general election, the Denmark Democrats focused on establishing a parliamentary presence through advocacy for tightened asylum procedures and enhanced welfare protections for Danish citizens. The party positioned itself outside the December 2022 coalition government led by the Social Democrats, Liberals, and Moderates, but occasionally aligned with it on immigration restrictions, contributing to cross-party consensus on limiting family reunifications and deportations.[18][19] In March 2024, the party's representation grew to 9 seats when Mads Fuglede, a Liberal Party MP, defected, citing alignment with Denmark Democrats' national conservative priorities on sovereignty and rural development; this shift contributed to the government losing its one-seat majority.[20] In the June 2024 European Parliament election, the party secured 7.4% of the national vote, electing one MEP and demonstrating sustained voter appeal amid broader right-wing fragmentation.[21] Opinion polls in mid-2025 indicated further momentum, with support rising to levels suggesting potential gains in future national elections, reflecting effective consolidation of anti-immigration and pro-welfare sentiments from defectors of established parties like the Danish People's Party.[22] Internally, the Denmark Democrats have exhibited notable stability compared to predecessors like the Danish People's Party, which endured prolonged leadership battles and member exodus in the 2010s and early 2020s. As of August 2023, the party reported no significant internal conflicts, attributing this to rigorous candidate selection and a unified platform emphasizing pragmatism over ideological purity.[23][24] Early organizational challenges included recruiting experienced MPs and building a nationwide structure, as the party's rapid formation left gaps in local representation; by late 2022, Inger Støjberg highlighted difficulties in identifying suitable candidates amid high public expectations.[25] These were mitigated through targeted recruitment from conservative backgrounds, enabling steady membership growth without factional splits, though sustaining momentum requires ongoing adaptation to voter demands for tangible policy impacts in a fragmented right-wing landscape.[26]Leadership and Organization
Inger Støjberg and key figures
Inger Støjberg has served as chairman of the Denmark Democrats since founding the party on 23 June 2022.[27] Prior to this, she was a member of the Liberal Party (Venstre), where she acted as Minister for Immigration and Integration from 28 November 2016 until 2018, and as deputy party leader from 2019 to 2020.[28] Støjberg left Venstre after her September 2021 conviction by the Danish Court of Impeachment for administrative misconduct in issuing a 2016 directive that required the separation of underage married or cohabiting asylum seekers from their partners without individual case reviews, leading to a 60-day prison sentence she served electronically.[29] Under her leadership, the party secured 16 seats in the Folketing following the 1 November 2022 general election, positioning it as a significant force advocating strict immigration controls and national welfare priorities.[28] The parliamentary group leader for the Denmark Democrats is Peter Skaarup, who joined the party after serving as parliamentary leader for the Danish People's Party from 2012 to June 2022.[27] Skaarup, a Folketing member since 1998, brings extensive experience in foreign affairs, EU skepticism, and immigration policy from his prior roles, including as the Danish People's Party's spokesman on those issues.[30] He defected to the Denmark Democrats amid the Danish People's Party's decline, contributing to the new party's recruitment of former nationalists.[31] Dennis Flydtkjær acts as deputy parliamentary group leader, having transitioned from the Danish People's Party, where he was a Folketing member from 2011 to 2022.[27] Flydtkjær, representing the Midtjylland region, has focused on rural interests, agriculture, and welfare policies during his tenure.[32] Other key figures include group secretary Charlotte Munch and political spokesperson Susie Jessen, who support the party's operational and communicative functions in parliament.[27] The leadership draws heavily from defectors of the Danish People's Party, reflecting the Denmark Democrats' strategy to consolidate right-wing elements disillusioned with established parties.[31]Party structure and membership
The Denmark Democrats maintain a streamlined organizational structure, centered around its parliamentary group, central leadership, administrative head office, and youth wing, reflecting the party's recent founding in June 2022 and its focus on national-level operations rather than extensive grassroots networks. The parliamentary group's secretariat handles administrative and logistical support for the party's 16 members in the Folketing as of March 2024, operating from offices in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.[27][33] The party's head office, also located at Christiansborg, coordinates overall activities, policy development, and member engagement, with contact facilitated through a dedicated email and phone line shared with the parliamentary secretariat.[27] Membership is open to individuals who align with the party's platform, granting access to policy input and event planning, though the organization emphasizes centralized decision-making over decentralized local branches, unlike more established Danish parties with regional assemblies.[34] As of 2023, the party reported 2,045 registered members, a modest figure indicative of its youth and targeted recruitment efforts amid competition from larger parties.[35] The youth organization, Danmarksdemokraternes Ungdom (DD-Ungdom), serves as the party's affiliated group for younger activists, focusing on mobilization and ideological outreach, with its operations similarly based at Christiansborg and led by chairman Patrick Culmsee Bryhl Madsen as of the latest available records.[27] This setup supports the party's emphasis on efficient, top-down coordination to advance its nationalist and welfare-oriented agenda in parliament.[27]Ideology and Political Positions
Core principles and nationalism
The Denmark Democrats position themselves as a bourgeois-conservative party emphasizing the national community (det nationale fællesskab), personal freedom, and societal cohesion as foundational values. Their 2023 principal program outlines a commitment to a "Denmark in balance," which prioritizes equitable resource distribution between urban and rural areas while safeguarding Denmark's welfare model for its citizens. This framework underscores a welfare chauvinist approach, where social benefits and services are reserved primarily for those integrated into Danish society, reflecting a pragmatic conservatism rooted in national self-interest rather than expansive universalism.[36][37] Nationalism forms a core ideological pillar, articulated as a defense of Danish cultural identity, sovereignty, and communal bonds against external pressures. The party advocates strengthening national cohesion through strict immigration controls, including permanent bans on returns for rejected asylum seekers and repatriation incentives, to prevent the formation of parallel societies and preserve Denmark's homogeneous social fabric. This stance draws from empirical observations of integration challenges, such as higher welfare dependency and crime rates among non-Western immigrants, positioning nationalism as a causal safeguard for the sustainability of Denmark's high-trust, egalitarian society.[36][3][1] In foreign policy, the party's nationalism manifests in skepticism toward supranational entities like the European Union, favoring Danish veto power over decisions impinging on national borders, justice, and taxation. They support NATO membership for security but prioritize unilateral control over immigration and cultural policy, viewing excessive internationalism as a dilution of sovereign agency. This approach aligns with a civic nationalism that celebrates Danish history, monarchy, and values like individual responsibility and community solidarity, without endorsing ethnic exclusivity.[36][38]Immigration and asylum policies
The Denmark Democrats maintain a staunchly restrictive stance on immigration and asylum, prioritizing the protection of Danish cultural identity, welfare sustainability, and social cohesion against what they describe as the risks posed by mass non-Western inflows. The party argues that Denmark's existing framework requires no further liberalization, as laxer policies would exacerbate integration failures and strain public resources. Central to their platform is the insistence that newcomers must assimilate fully, contribute economically, and forgo reliance on state support, with immigration viewed primarily through the lens of national self-preservation rather than humanitarian expansion.[3] On asylum specifically, the party opposes any easing of entry criteria or processing standards, contending that such measures render Denmark unduly appealing to refugees and undermine deterrence efforts. They advocate retaining temporary protection statuses without pathways to permanent residency for most cases, aligning with broader Danish trends but pushing for even firmer enforcement to minimize long-term settlement. Repatriation is a core emphasis, with proposals to enhance incentives and mechanisms for voluntary returns, particularly for those from safe countries or whose protection needs have expired, as part of a "more returns, fewer arrivals" doctrine. The party has highlighted stalled tightenings under the Social Democratic government, citing an 84% rise in Muslim immigration since 2019 as evidence of policy reversal.[3][39] Welfare benefits form another pillar of restriction, with the Denmark Democrats committed to keeping payments for refugees and immigrants at minimal levels to promote rapid workforce entry and reduce economic pull factors. This approach, they assert, counters "welfare tourism" and ensures that Denmark remains uncompetitive as a destination compared to neighboring states. Family reunification rules are implicitly targeted for contraction, though specifics emphasize broader curbs on chain migration from high-risk origins. In September 2025, leader Inger Støjberg outlined 45 targeted tightenings, encompassing accelerated deportations, heightened scrutiny of asylum claims, and benefit reductions, positioning the party as willing to exceed even the incumbent government's restrictions in pursuit of near-zero net non-Western immigration.[3][40][40] This policy orientation draws from Støjberg's tenure as Immigration and Integration Minister (2015–2018), during which she oversaw measures like jewelry confiscations from asylum seekers and proposals for offshore processing, though it has drawn criticism for potential human rights overreach. The party's framework explicitly links immigration control to averting parallel societies and elevated crime rates associated with certain migrant cohorts, substantiated by Danish statistical trends on non-Western immigrant overrepresentation in welfare dependency and criminality.[39]Welfare, economy, and rural priorities
The Denmark Democrats advocate for a welfare system that prioritizes Danish citizens and ensures equitable access across the country, emphasizing "warm welfare" supported by taxation without postcode-based disparities in service quality.[41][42] The party supports restoring national cohesion in areas like healthcare and education, with initiatives to decentralize services and reduce urban-rural divides in public provision.[37] Their platform includes proposals for "near health" services, focusing on localized delivery to maintain high standards while containing costs through efficiency rather than expansion.[4] On economic policy, the party promotes fiscal responsibility, as demonstrated by their submission of a comprehensive alternative finance bill in 2023, fully funding proposals without deficits.[43] They favor tax policies that incentivize business continuity, such as reducing the generational handover tax for family enterprises from 15% to 5% and establishing a legal right for small firms to be valued at market prices during transfers.[44] These measures aim to bolster the "production Denmark" sector, comprising local craftsmen, farmers, bakers, and small enterprises that account for approximately one-third of national employment.[45][46] Rural priorities center on revitalizing non-urban areas through targeted economic support, including enhanced vocational training via improved trade schools and strategic development of industrial parks to benefit peripheral regions.[47][46] The party seeks to counter urban dominance by fostering "production Denmark" as the backbone of the economy, with policies to ease business establishment and expansion in rural districts, thereby promoting balanced national development and sustaining agricultural and small-scale industries.[45] This agrarian-oriented approach combines nativist elements with populism aimed at preserving rural livelihoods against centralization trends.[48]Foreign policy and EU stance
The Denmark Democrats advocate for a fundamental reform of the European Union to create a smaller, more focused entity that prioritizes core functions such as free trade, the internal market, and external border security, while repatriating powers to member states through treaty changes.[49] The party opposes EU overreach into national competencies, including welfare policies, parental leave, pensions, taxes, and labor conditions, arguing that such interference undermines Danish sovereignty.[50] They support maintaining Denmark's existing opt-outs from the euro, justice and home affairs cooperation, and defense integration, rejecting any adoption of the common currency or deeper alignment in these areas.[50] On EU migration policy, the party calls for strengthened external borders through expanded Frontex operations, physical fences, and external processing centers modeled on the UK's Rwanda plan, citing the need to address the 950,000 asylum applications across the EU in 2022 and Denmark's increase from 2,100 seekers in 2021 to 4,600 in 2022.[49] They also seek permanent internal border controls within Schengen while remaining in the agreement, and protection for Danish agriculture against EU green transition mandates that could disadvantage farmers.[50] In economic terms, the party emphasizes enhancing supply security in energy, food, and defense amid geopolitical tensions like the Ukraine conflict, with Danish exports to the EU valued at 665 billion DKK in 2021 supporting 372,000 jobs.[49] In broader foreign policy, the Denmark Democrats prioritize national security through NATO, viewing it as the primary framework for Danish defense rather than EU mechanisms, and commit to increasing expenditures to meet alliance targets of 2% of GDP.[36] [51] They participated in the 2023 defense agreement extending to 2033, which aims to rebuild military capabilities in response to heightened threats.[52] On development aid, the party proposes cutting it by 3.5 billion DKK annually to redirect resources toward stabilizing Europe's neighborhood and curbing migration drivers, rather than broad global spending.[53] This realist approach emphasizes Denmark's immediate interests, including controlled borders and self-sufficiency, over expansive international commitments.[49]Electoral History
Folketing elections
The Denmark Democrats contested their inaugural Folketing election on 1 November 2022, five months after the party's formation in June 2022.[33] With a platform emphasizing strict immigration controls and welfare prioritization for Danish citizens, the party appealed to voters disillusioned with established right-wing options. Voter turnout nationwide was 84.2%, with 3,533,493 valid votes cast across Denmark's 10 constituencies.[13] The party received 286,796 votes, equivalent to 8.1% of the national vote share, surpassing the 2% threshold for proportional representation and establishing it as Denmark's fifth-largest party by vote.[13] This result yielded 14 seats in the 179-member Folketing: 11 directly elected constituency seats and 3 leveling seats to ensure proportionality.[54] Inger Støjberg, the party leader, was among those elected, securing a seat in the East Jutland constituency. No subsequent Folketing elections have occurred as of October 2025, with the next scheduled no later than 2026 absent an early dissolution.| Year | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Inger Støjberg | 286,796 | 8.1 | 14/179 | 5th[13][54] |