Denmark’s election on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) ended in an inconclusive result, leaving the Prime Minister’s future unclear, after a campaign that focused on bread-and-butter issues rather than her handling of the crisis over U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland.

Official results showed that Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s centre-left Social Democrats lost ground compared with the last election in 2022, as did her two partners in the outgoing government.

Neither left-leaning nor right-leaning blocs won a majority in parliament. That left experienced Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a former Prime Minister, in the role of kingmaker.

His centrist Moderate party, with 14 lawmakers in the 179-seat parliament, is in a position to determine whether Ms. Frederiksen can serve a third term at the helm of the European Union and NATO country.

Ms. Frederiksen said that she is ready to stay on as Prime Minister. “The world is unsettled. There are strong winds around us,” she said. “Denmark needs a stable government, a competent government. We are ready to take the lead.” Kingmaker calls on rivals to ‘come and play with us.

Lokke Rasmussen called on rivals on the left and right to climb down from some of the positions they staked out in the campaign, and “come and play with us.” Denmark “is a small country of 6 million people in a world of 8 billion, which is in upheaval — and there is war in Iran, and there is war in Ukraine,” he said.

He argued that “We are one tribe. We must come together. We must not be divided.” But Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, the best-placed centre-right challenger to Ms. Frederiksen, made clear that he and his Liberal party don’t intend to go into government with her Social Democrats again.

The Social Democrats remained the biggest single party by some distance, but with 21.9% of the vote — well below the 27.5% they took in the 2022 election.

The 48-year-old Ms. Frederiksen is known for strong support of Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion and for a restrictive approach to migration — continuing what has become a tradition in Danish politics.

Frederiksen called the election early

Ms. Frederiksen called the election in February, several months before she had to. She apparently hoped that her resolute image in the standoff over Mr. Trump’s push for control of Greenland, rallying European allies behind Denmark, would help her with voters.

Her support had previously waned as the cost of living rose, something that, along with pensions and a potential wealth tax, has been a prominent campaign issue.

No single party had been expected to come anywhere near winning a majority. Denmark’s system of proportional representation typically produces coalition governments, traditionally made up of several parties from either the “red bloc” on the left or the “blue bloc” on the right, after weeks of negotiations.

Ms. Frederiksen’s outgoing administration was the first in decades to straddle the left-right divide.

Social Democrat lawmaker Morten Klessen said the outgoing government had performed well, but that “there’s been a lot of trouble in Europe and I think our government has had a lot of focus about Ukraine and I think we have lost a little bit in domestic votes for that.”

He argued that “we need Mette Frederiksen in Europe for solidarity.” Ms. Frederiksen herself said she had hoped for a better result, but it was normal for a party seeking a third term to lose ground. She compared Tuesday’s (March 24, 2026) result with the 25.9% of the vote her party took in 2019, when she became Prime Minister.

“I have been in charge of this wonderful country for nearly seven years,” she said. “We have weathered the pandemic; we have had to deal with war. We have been threatened by the American president, and in those nearly seven years, we have seen a four percent decline.”

Greenland wasn’t a big issue in the campaign

Greenland, which took up much of the government’s energy in recent months, wasn’t a significant issue in the campaign because there is broad agreement on its place in the kingdom.

Ms. Frederiksen warned in January that an American takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of NATO. But the crisis has simmered down, at least for now.

After Mr. Trump backed down on threats to impose tariffs on Denmark and other European countries that opposed the U.S. taking control of the vast Arctic island, the U.S., Denmark and Greenland started technical talks on an Arctic security deal.

Denmark’s single-chamber parliament, the Folketing, is elected for a four-year term. Lawmakers from Denmark hold 175 of its seats, while two each go to representatives from thinly populated Greenland and the kingdom’s other semiautonomous territory, the Faroe Islands.

More than 4.3 million people were eligible to vote.

Published – March 25, 2026 11:28 am IST

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks to the media ahead of a special summit of European Union leaders to discuss transatlantic relations following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on goods from a list of EU countries over his demand to acquire Greenland, in Brussels, Belgium.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The notion of the United States purchasing Greenland has been a topic of discussion for months, but recent developments suggest that President Trump’s administration is more serious about the proposition than initially thought.

A “fiery” phone call between President Donald Trump and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has reignited the debate over Greenland’s future, with the US leader’s intentions remaining unclear.

Trump’s unwavering stance on taking over Greenland, despite officials’ repeated assertions that it’s not for sale, has left many in Denmark and Greenland reeling.

At the heart of Trump’s interest in Greenland lies its strategic importance for national security. The island is rich in minerals crucial for technology and defense, including rare earth elements used in mobile phones, electric vehicles, and weapons. With China dominating the global rare earth market, Greenland’s reserves have become increasingly vital to the US.

Trump has been wanting to take over the island nation of 56,000 people since his first term.

Greenland’s location, straddling the shortest route between Europe and North America, makes it a critical spot for the US military and its ballistic missile early-warning system. As China and Russia expand their influence in the Arctic, the US seeks to maintain its dominance in the region.

Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, told Fox that Trump has made it clear “the safety and security of Greenland is important to the United States as China and Russia make significant investments throughout the Arctic region. The President is committed to not only protecting U.S. interests in the Arctic but also working with Greenland to ensure mutual prosperity for both nations”.

“He was very firm,” a source told the Financial Times, describing Trump’s tone during the phone call. “It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”

The phone call was “fiery” with one official calling it “horrendous”, per the Financial Times.

The call “utterly freaked out” the Danes, one Danish official said. “The intent was very clear,” another official told the outlet. “They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode.”

Trump’s aggressive pursuit of Greenland has been met with resistance from Denmark and Greenland. Frederiksen has emphasised that Greenland is not for sale, and its Prime Minister, Mute Edege, has reiterated that the island’s people do not want to be part of the US.

However, repeatedly, the US says that Greenland is important for its national security. Despite Frederiksen’s offer to increase the cooperation between Greenland and US on military bases and resources, Trump was aggressive and confrontational. Moreover he has not ruled out the possible use of military force in Greenland.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last month.

Residents of Greenland have also expressed their distrust of Trump and his intentions. “I don’t trust the guy,” Bilo Chemnitz, a resident of Nuuk, told The Washington Post. “I want Greenland to stay like it is.”

“I don’t like the way he talks about Greenland,” resident Ida Abelsen similarly told the Post.

The diplomatic relations between the US and Denmark have been put to the test, as Trump’s pursuit of Greenland continues to garner attention and criticism.