Tacking left on welfare and right on immigration looks likely to pay off for Denmark’s Social Democratic Party, which is widely expected to return to power this week as voters desert the center-right government and the far right.
A poll this weekend predicted that the center-left party, led by Mette Frederiksen, would be the country’s largest with about 27 percent of the vote after the election yesterday, while the “red bloc” of left-leaning parties it leads was on course for more than 55 percent.
The outgoing center-right government of Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was forecast to finish a distant second on about 18 percent, with support for the far-right Danish People’s Party predicted to collapse to barely 11 percent — half its score in the 2015 vote and a repeat of its poor performance in the European elections last month.
The projected results followed the adoption by Denmark’s mainstream parties of hardline anti-immigration policies previously the preserve of the far right, which immigrants and human rights campaigners believe have led to a rise in racist abuse and discrimination.
Rasmussen’s Liberal Party and the Social Democrats have both backed widely criticized measures on immigration, arguing they are needed to protect Denmark’s generous — if increasingly creaking — welfare system, and to integrate migrants and refugees in the country.
However, discrimination cases are up and the number of racially or religiously motivated hate crimes registered by police — which is likely to be lower than the actual figure, as not all incidents are reported — surged to 365 in 2017 from 228 the year before.
“Politicians are moving very close to the boundaries of human rights,” Danish Institute for Human Rights deputy executive director Louise Holck said.
The Social Democrats have also won support by promising to increase public spending due to widespread anger at what many voters see as the gradual erosion of the welfare state.
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