Everything about Social Democrats Denmark totally explained
The
Social Democrats, is a
Danish political party. After the
election of 2007, it's still the second largest party with 25.5% of votes and 45 seats. Since the Social Democrats were last in government, ending 2001, it's the first time the Social Democrats are not the most popular party since the end of
World War II. The party is currently led by
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and it's a member of the
Party of European Socialists and the
Socialist International. It has five MEPs in the
European Parliament, an increase of three after the election in 2004. The increase was mainly supported by the large number of voters who voted for former party leader and
Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen.
Recent history
In government 1993–2001
The Social Democrats' social policy through the 1990s and continuing in the 21st century involved a significant redistribution of
income and the maintenance of a large state apparatus with collectively financed core services such as
healthcare,
education and
infrastructure.
Social Democrat-led coalition governments (the Cabinets of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
I,
II,
III,
IV) implemented the system known as
flexicurity (flexibility and social security), mixing strong Scandinavian unemployment benefits with a more lax regulation of employment, making it easier for employers to fire people in order to encourage economic growth and reduce unemployment. It is required for people to continually try to remain an active part of the job force in order to receive benefits if they lose their job. This plan has proven to be successful at reducing unemployment, and it has been proposed as a plausible model for other European countries such as France.
The Cabinets of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen maintained a parliamentary majority during the period from 1993 to 2001 by virtue of their support from the
Socialist People's Party and the
Red-Green Alliance.
Towards the end of the 1990s, a
trade surplus of 30 billion
kroner (
USD 4.9 billion) turned into a
deficit. To combat this, the government increased taxes, limiting private consumption. The 1998 initiative, which was dubbed the Whitsun Packet (Danish:
Pinsepakken) from the season it was issued, wasn't universally popular with the electorate, which may have been a factor in the Social Democrats' defeat in the
2001 parliamentary election.
In opposition 2001–present
After the defeat to the
Liberal Party in the 2001 election, the party chairmanship went to former
finance and
foreign minister Mogens Lykketoft. Following another defeat in the
January 2005 election, Lykketoft announced his resignation as party leader, and at an extraordinary congress on 12 March, it was decided that all members of the party would cast votes in an election of a new party leader. The two contenders for the leadership represented the two wings in the party, with
Helle Thorning-Schmidt being viewed as centrist and
Frank Jensen being viewed as slightly more left-wing. On
12 April 2005 Helle Thorning-Schmidt was elected as the new leader.
Leaders of the Socialdemocrats
Further Information
Get more info on 'Social Democrats Denmark'.
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