The Hindu Business Line : Elections

For one used to the hurly-burly of elections in India, the quiet of the efficient Danish exercise was almost surreal. That India is going to elections would be obvious to the most severely language handicapped as the campaigning would be an invasion of all sensory perceptions. Not one dull moment.

But in Denmark a language-handicapped visitor — that is, unable to read local newspapers — would have to be told that the country was going to elections. There were no readily visible indications; even the posters of the key candidates sprang up only in the home stretch to the polling day, which seemed more ordinary than other days. The silence was deafening even on the day the results came in, though the occasion was historic with a Liberal Prime Minister, for the first time ever, being re-elected to a third term in office.

The Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s call for elections two years ahead of schedule — betting on obtaining a strengthened mandate at a time of economic growth, low unemployment, tax cuts, and reform of Denmark’s generous welfare system — had paid off. The unemployment rate is 3.1 per cent, the lowest in over three decades, and the economy grew by 3.5 per cent in 2006.

The Rasmussen-led coalition — consisting of his Liberal Party and the Conservative Party — was opposed by a four-party centre-Left coalition led by the new social democrat leader, Helle Thorning-Schmidt — a daughter-in-law of former British Labour Party leader, Neil Kinnock — who was bidding to become Denmark’s first woman prime minister.

Welfare spending vs tax cuts

The main election issue was welfare spending versus tax cuts, not the issue of Denmark’s military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan or European affairs, with the major parties refusing to take a stand on a referendum on the new European Union Reform Treaty, before an EU summit in December gives the final political approval.

The key battle was between two small but influential fringe parties — Naser Khader’s New Alliance and the rightwing, anti-immigrant Danish People’s Party (DPP). The outgoing government had been dependent on the DPP, which had, as its pound of flesh, got legislated one of the most restrictive asylum and immigration policies. The New Alliance’s pitch was to dilute the anti-immigrant stance and to combat the DPP’s anti-Muslim rhetoric. The New Alliance and its leader Naser Khader, a Syrian-born Danish citizen, had shot into prominence for demanding greater tolerance among Muslims after violence broke out in response to a series of caricatures of the Prophet in Jyllands-Posten, a leading Danish newspaper.

According to Copenhagen Post, the electoral race was close but Rasmussen never trailed. That meant the real question was whether the New Alliance would secure enough seats to force the prime minister into post-election negotiations. Though Rasmussen’s Liberal Party lost six seats to secure 46 berths in Parliament, the Folketing, and the Conservatives remained unchanged at 18, the coalition’s majority was assured by the strong showing by the DPP.

Rasmussen did not need the New Alliance’s five seats, yet, he left the doors open to the outfit, saying, “I invite any party that supports me as prime minister to participate in the formation of our course of action for the coming term.” Noting that without the New Alliance’s support, the government only held a one-seat advantage in parliament, the New Alliance leader Naser Khader expected to earn some concessions from Rasmussen.

Key issues for new government

Immigration and the welfare state idea that contains within it the high-tax regime would be the key issues for the new government. The DPP takes a hard line against immigration and Denmark’s generous welfare state. The barely six months old New Alliance, whose supporters are mostly the affluent, wants to ease restrictions on immigration and the highest income tax rate of 63 per cent lowered to 40 per cent.

Rasmussen has himself advocated a tight immigration policy and his re-election the third time would appear to vindicate his stance. He has, as promised in 2001 and 2005, kept immigration and asylum on a leash.

The Social Democrats’ leader, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former member of the European Parliament, had campaigned on a platform of support for the welfare state. Though her party chalked up its worst election result since 1906, Copenhagen Post reported political observers as saying that Thorning-Schmidt had managed to unite a party that had been divided by infighting and squabbles for more than 15 years.

Perhaps the most significant outcome of the elections is the emergence of the New Alliance that was founded earlier this year with, as the Guardian put it, a broadminded, modern political style. This did a take a knock with the party’s fickleness to take sides; pre-poll surveys gave low votes on the party’s trustworthiness. But the party does seem to have support from Danes who worry about the polarisation of Denmark’s still very homogeneous society as a consequence of continuous immigration. In addition, the role of Islam in modern European democracies remains a challenge to Danish society, which has never really recovered from the cartoon crisis.

Immigration and Islam were yet again key factors in this election campaign. While the centre-left coalition argues for a more humane treatment of refugees and a more open approach to immigration as a whole, the Social Democrats want a tightening of the immigration laws. The DPP is hawkish on the issues but the Unity List controversially welcomed the Hijab-wearing Asmaa Abdol Hamid. This red/green party was built on a strictly secular approach to religious matters, but many left-wingers have abandoned them for the more pragmatic Socialist People’s Party.

Environment in focus

The other dominating theme was environment. The Socialist People’s Party has successfully branded itself as a progressive factor on green issues. The incumbent government’s record on environmental issues has been poor. Though it had inherited a very modern approach to green affairs, today Denmark is trailing many other European countries.

Yet, it is undeniable that the ruling coalition has got the green signal from the people though Prime Minister Rasmussen can be expected to face a tough task of managing two parties — the DPP and the New Alliance — that are ideologically opposed to each other. All the sound that was missing during the campaigning may well become heard now. But, then, democracy must not just be practised but also seen and heard — India style.

(The author is a Business Line Deputy Editor on sabbatical in Denmark.)