Danish General Elections
AS OF 2026-07-22 · 72 CONTESTS · general election, 24 March 2026 · WIKIPEDIA, NATIONAL ELECTORAL AUTHORITIES
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Every Danish election from the June Constitution of 1849 to the snap vote of March 2026: the constitutional struggle, the change of system, Stauning's long reign, the 1973 earthquake that doubled the party system overnight, and the bloc politics of the present.
Elections
72
1849–2026
Latest
2026
Social Democrats largest · Mette Frederiksen
The earthquake
1973
five new parties entered the Folketing at once
Folketing seats
179
including two each for Greenland and the Faroes
The chronology
Every election, newest first, era by era. Click any election for the full result and the story.
Bloc politics · 2001–2026
From Fogh Rasmussen's 2001 victory — the first time since 1920 that the Social Democrats were not the largest party — Danish elections became duels between red and blue blocs, with the Danish People's Party setting the tone on immigration. Frederiksen's Social Democrats governed from 2019, crossed the aisle into a grand coalition in 2022, and lost ground in the snap election of March 2026.
Social Democrats 38Green Left 20Venstre 18others 33
Social Democrats 50Venstre 23Moderates 16others 28
Social Democrats 48Venstre 43Danish People's Party 16others 12
Social Democrats 47Danish People's Party 37Venstre 34others 10
Venstre 47Social Democrats 44Danish People's Party 22others 4
Venstre 46Social Democrats 45Danish People's Party 25others 4
Venstre 52Social Democrats 47Danish People's Party 24others 4
Venstre 56Social Democrats 52Danish People's Party 22others 4
The earthquake and after · 1973–1998
The 1973 jordskredsvalg doubled the number of parties in the Folketing overnight: Glistrup's Progress Party arrived second, and every old party lost. Danish politics spent two decades absorbing the shock through weak minority cabinets, Schlüter's long conservative interlude and Nyrup's comeback.
Social Democrats 63Venstre 42Conservative People's Party 16others 12
Social Democrats 62Venstre 42Conservative People's Party 27others 5
Social Democrats 69Conservative People's Party 30Venstre 29others 4
Social Democrats 55Conservative People's Party 35Socialist People's Party 24others 4
Social Democrats 54Conservative People's Party 38Socialist People's Party 27others 8
Social Democrats 56Conservative People's Party 42Venstre 22others 9
Social Democrats 59Conservative People's Party 26Socialist People's Party 21others 8
Social Democrats 68Venstre 22Conservative People's Party 22others 14
Social Democrats 65Progress Party 26Venstre 21others 21
Social Democrats 53Venstre 42Progress Party 24others 12
Social Democrats 46Progress Party 28Venstre 22others 15
The four old parties · 1945–1971
Postwar politics ran on the familiar quadrille of Social Democrats, Venstre, Conservatives and Radicals — minority governments, welfare-state construction and low drama, with the Socialist People's Party arriving from the left in 1960 to complicate the arithmetic.
Social Democrats 70Conservative People's Party 31Venstre 30others 4
Social Democrats 62Conservative People's Party 37Venstre 34others 4
Social Democrats 69Venstre 35Conservative People's Party 34others 4
Social Democrats 76Venstre 38Conservative People's Party 36others 4
Social Democrats 76Venstre 38Conservative People's Party 32others 4
Social Democrats 70Venstre 45Conservative People's Party 30others 4
Social Democrats 74Venstre 42Conservative People's Party 30others 4
Social Democrats 61Venstre 33Conservative People's Party 26others 2
Social Democrats 59Venstre 32Conservative People's Party 27others 2
Social Democrats 57Venstre 46Conservative People's Party 17others 2
Social Democrats 48Venstre 38Conservative People's Party 26others 1
Stauning's Denmark · 1920–1943
Three elections in one year resolved the Easter Crisis of 1920, and by 1924 Thorvald Stauning had made the Social Democrats Denmark's largest party — a position they held for three-quarters of a century. His 1935 landslide under 'Stauning or chaos' remains the modern record; even under German occupation, the 1943 election was fought and won by the democratic parties.
Social Democrats 66Conservative People's Party 31Venstre 28others 1
Social Democratic Party 64Venstre 30Conservative People's Party 26others 2
Social Democratic Party 68Venstre 28Conservative People's Party 26others 1
Social Democratic Party 62Venstre 38Conservative People's Party 27others 1
Social Democratic Party 61Venstre 43Conservative People's Party 24others 1
Social Democratic Party 53Venstre 46Conservative People's Party 30others 1
Social Democratic Party 55Venstre 44Conservative People's Party 28others 1
Venstre 51Social Democratic Party 48Conservative People's Party 27others 1
Venstre 51Social Democratic Party 42Conservative People's Party 26others 1
Venstre 48Social Democratic Party 42Conservative People's Party 28others 1
The change of system · 1903–1918
The Systemskifte of 1901 finally conceded parliamentary government to the Folketing's majority. The Left governed, the Radicals split from them, and the Social Democrats rose election by election; the 1915 constitution enfranchised women and servants, who voted for the first time in 1918.
Venstre 45Social Democratic Party 39Danish Social Liberal Party 32
Venstre 44Social Democratic Party 32Danish Social Liberal Party 31
Venstre 57Social Democratic Party 24Danish Social Liberal Party 20
Venstre Reform Party 37Social Democratic Party 24Højre 21
Venstre Reform Party 56Social Democratic Party 24Højre 12
Venstre Reform Party 73Social Democratic Party 16Højre 12others 1
The constitutional struggle · 1849–1901
The June Constitution of 1849 gave Denmark one of Europe's broadest male franchises, but the king kept appointing conservative governments no matter how badly they lost. Under Estrup the country was run by provisional decree for over a decade while the Left won election after election it was not allowed to convert into power.
Venstre Reform Party 76Moderate Venstre 16Social Democratic Party 14
Venstre Reform Party 63Moderate Venstre 23Højre 16
Venstre Reform Party 53Moderate Venstre 27Højre 25others 1
Moderate Venstre 39Højre 31Venstre Reform Party 30
Venstre Reform Party 75Højre 24Social Democratic Party 3
Venstre Reform Party 74Højre 27Social Democratic Party 1
Venstre Reform Party 81Højre 19Social Democratic Party 2
The long arc in charts
Hover any point for the exact figure.
Turnout since 1918
Danish turnout has lived between 80 and 90 per cent for a century without compulsion, among the healthiest voluntary participation in the democratic world.
The largest party's share
Stauning's 46% in 1935 remains the ceiling; the floor keeps dropping: the Social Democrats' winning share in March 2026 was their lowest since 1903.
Records & superlatives
Highest turnout
89.3%
1968 — of the elections with a recorded figure
Lowest turnout
47.2%
1879
Highest vote share
58.1%
Venstre Reform Party, 1887
Most seats won
81
Venstre Reform Party, 1884
Parties after the earthquake
10
the 1973 jordskredsvalg doubled the Folketing's party count in a single night
Social Democrats largest party
77 yrs
from 1924 until Fogh Rasmussen's 2001 bloc shift — then again from 2019
How Danish elections work
Hyper-proportional, hyper-responsive
175 Danish seats (plus two each for Greenland and the Faroe Islands) are allocated by PR with compensatory seats and a 2% threshold, low enough that new parties enter easily, which Danish voters use freely.
Minority government as a way of life
Majority coalitions are rare; most Danish governments rule from a minority, negotiating each bill. The blocs, red and blue, are the real units, and elections are duels between them.
The king who lost
Denmark's first half-century of elections changed nothing: the king appointed conservative cabinets against clear Left majorities until the Systemskifte of 1901 conceded parliamentary government. The early entries carry that story.
Three in one year
The Easter Crisis of 1920, a royal dismissal of a government that had parliament's confidence, forced three elections in six months and settled, permanently, that Danish kings reign but do not rule.