Danish parliamentary election, 1988
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark
on 10 May 1988, just seven months after the last elections
. Prime Minister Poul Schlüter
chose to call for an election after the Conservative People's Party
-led government fell short of a majority in a foreign policy issue after they failed to come to an agreement with the Social Democrats
. In a parliamentary debate Prime Minister Poul Schlüter accused the leader of the Social Democrats, Svend Auken
, of breaking a political deal between the two of them, whilst Auken accused Schlüter of lying to the public.
However, the election did not change the balance of power in the Folketing. Common Course
failed to cross the 2% percent threshold and lost their four seats. The Centre Democrats and the Christian People's Party left the government (although they continued to support it) and were replaced by the Danish Social Liberal Party. The reason for doing this was that it gave Schlüter a majority in foreign policy issues, which had caused this election. The Centre Democrats and Christian People's Party continued to support the government though.
Voter turnout was 85.7% in Denmark proper, 70.3% in the Faroe Islands
and 57.9% in Greenland
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on 10 May 1988, just seven months after the last elections
Danish parliamentary election, 1987
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 8 September 1987. Although the Social Democratic Party remained the largest in the Folketing with 54 of the 179 seats, the Conservative People's Party-led coalition government was able to continue. Voter turnout was 86.7% in Denmark proper, 68.9% in...
. Prime Minister Poul Schlüter
Poul Schlüter
Poul Holmskov Schlüter is a Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993.Born in Tønder, south Jutland, he graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 1957 with a degree in law, and joined the bar in 1960. Schlüter was a member of the Danish Parliament for the...
chose to call for an election after the Conservative People's Party
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
-led government fell short of a majority in a foreign policy issue after they failed to come to an agreement with the Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
. In a parliamentary debate Prime Minister Poul Schlüter accused the leader of the Social Democrats, Svend Auken
Svend Auken
Svend Gunnarsen Auken was a Danish politician. He represented the Social Democrats as a member of the Danish parliament from 1971 until his death....
, of breaking a political deal between the two of them, whilst Auken accused Schlüter of lying to the public.
However, the election did not change the balance of power in the Folketing. Common Course
Common Course
Common Course was a political party in Denmark, which held 4 seats in the Danish parliament Folketinget 1987-1988. It was officially formed in 1986, but it was built on several fractions of the Communist Party of Denmark emerging in 1979 already...
failed to cross the 2% percent threshold and lost their four seats. The Centre Democrats and the Christian People's Party left the government (although they continued to support it) and were replaced by the Danish Social Liberal Party. The reason for doing this was that it gave Schlüter a majority in foreign policy issues, which had caused this election. The Centre Democrats and Christian People's Party continued to support the government though.
Voter turnout was 85.7% in Denmark proper, 70.3% in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
and 57.9% in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Results
| Denmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democrats (Denmark) The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark... |
992,682 | 29.8 | 55 | |
| Conservative People's Party Conservative People's Party (Denmark) The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition... |
642,048 | 19.3 | 35 | –3 |
| Socialist People's Party Socialist People's Party (Denmark) The Socialist People's Party is a green and socialist political party in Denmark.-1959–69:The SF was founded on 15 February 1959 by Aksel Larsen, a former leader of the Communist Party of Denmark and CIA agent. Larsen was removed from the ranks of the DKP for his criticism over the Soviet... |
433,261 | 13.0 | 24 | –3 |
| Venstre Venstre (Denmark) VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark... |
394,190 | 11.8 | 22 | |
| Progress Party Progress Party (Denmark) The Progress Party is a political party in Denmark, which was founded in 1972. Its founder, the former lawyer Mogens Glistrup, gained huge popularity in Denmark after he appeared on Danish television, showing that he paid 0 % in income tax... |
298,132 | 9.0 | 16 | |
| Danish Social Liberal Party | 185,707 | 5.6 | 10 | –1 |
| Centre Democrats | 155,464 | 4.7 | 9 | 0 |
| Christian People's Party Christian Democrats (Denmark) The Christian Democrats are a political party in Denmark. The party was founded in 1970 to oppose the liberalization of restrictions on pornography and the legalization of abortion.... |
68,047 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Common Course Common Course Common Course was a political party in Denmark, which held 4 seats in the Danish parliament Folketinget 1987-1988. It was officially formed in 1986, but it was built on several fractions of the Communist Party of Denmark emerging in 1979 already... |
63,263 | 1.9 | 0 | –4 |
| De Grønne De Grønne De Grønne is a Danish green party. It was founded in October 1983. It was a founding member of the European Green Party.In 2008 the party was expelled from the EGP... |
44,960 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party of Denmark is a communist political party in Denmark which was founded as Venstresocialistiske Parti in 1919. VSP was a split from the Danish Social Democratic Party. The party assumed its present name in 1920... |
27,439 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Left Socialists Left Socialists Left Socialists , a political party in Denmark. VS works on what it calls a 'undogmatic revolutionary and Marxist basis'.It was formed in 1967 as a split from the Socialist People's Party . VS was represented by the letter "Y" on the electoral ballots. VS members of parliament were respected and... |
20,303 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Independents | 3,633 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 23,522 | – | – | – |
| Total | 3,352,651 | 100 | 175 | 0 |
| Faroe Islands | ||||
| People's Party People's Party (Faroe Islands) The Faroese People's Party – Radical Self-Government is a liberal conservative political party in the Faroe Islands, led by Jørgen Niclasen. One of the four major parties, it's had eight seats in the Løgting since the 2011 election, making it the joint-largest party, but neither of the Faroes'... |
5,655 | 24.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Union Party | 5,597 | 24.4 | 1 | |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Faroe Islands) The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic, political party in the Faroe Islands, led by Jóannes Eidesgaard.At the legislative elections, 19 January 2008, the party won 19.3% of the popular vote and 6 out of 32 seats.... |
4,861 | 21.2 | 0 | –1 |
| Republican Party Republican Party (Faroe Islands) The Republic is a left-wing political party in the Faroe Islands committed to Faroese Independence. It was founded in 1948 as a reaction to independence not being proclaimed after a public vote on the matter showed a significant plurality for it in 1946.In 1998 Høgni Hoydal succeeded Heini O.... |
4,690 | 20.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Self-Government Party | 897 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian People's Party | 891 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Progress Party | 321 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 100 | – | – | – |
| Total | 23,012 | 100 | 2 | 0 |
| Greenland | ||||
| Forward Forward (Greenland) Forward is a social-democratic political party in Greenland and a consultative member of the Socialist International. It is led by Aleqa Hammond, member of the Greenlandic Parliament, who is the first woman ever to lead the party... |
8,415 | 40.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Feeling of Community Feeling of Community Feeling of Community is a centre-right conservative liberal and agrarian political party in Greenland and a partner of the Danish Venstre party. At the last legislative elections, on the fifteenth of November 2005, the party won 19.1% of the popular vote and six out of 31 seats... |
8,135 | 38.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Inuit Ataqatigiit Inuit Ataqatigiit Inuit Ataqatigiit is a leftist and separatist political party in Greenland. The party was born out of the increased youth radicalism in Denmark during the 1970s. The party strives to make Greenland an independent state.In the 2005 elections, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and seven out of... |
3,628 | 17.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Issittup Partiia | 821 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,169 | – | – | – |
| Total | 22,168 | 100 | 2 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||