Denmark gets new coalition government

Denmark has a new, more unstable, minority coalition government after four parties announced an agreement yesterday. Mette Frederiksen, who has been prime minister since 2019, will remain in office, leading a coalition of her center-left Social Democrats, the Socialist People’s Party, the Social Liberals and the Moderates. Even with four parties, the coalition controls only 82 seats in the 179-member parliament, still eight short of a majority. It will probably rely mainly on the Red-Green Alliance, a far-left group, to pass legislation. Two months after its general election, Denmark is the latest European country forced into an unstable coalition with extreme elements as support for mainstream parties plummets. It’s a symptom of unhappiness with mainstream parties and fuel for further unhappiness, as these coalitions struggle to get anything done. Watch for Europeans to reject their coalitions of chaos and instead embrace a strongman.