Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced early elections to be held on 24 March.
“Today I have asked the King to announce parliamentary elections,” Frederiksen said.
“This will be a decisive election because it is in the next four years that we, as Danes and as Europeans, will have to really stand on our own feet. We have to define our relationship with the United States… We have to rearm ourselves to ensure peace on our continent,” the Danish prime minister added.
The elections were to be held no later than 31 October. According to Politico, the decision to postpone the date was probably made because of the growing support for Frederiksen’s party following US President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.
Trump has justified the claim to Greenland on the basis of a possible threat from China and Russia. NATO allies, while rejecting the possibility of handing over the island to the US, generally agreed with Trump that security in the region should be strengthened to prevent Russia from gaining a strategic advantage.
Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to gain control of Greenland. He first raised the idea in 2019 during his first term as president. Trump argues that Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, has not done enough to protect it and that the strategically located and mineral-rich island is vital to U.S. security and that the United States should own it to prevent its occupation by Russia or China.
Frederiksen announced early parliamentary elections in Denmark