Denmark

Flag Description

Red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Election type: Parliamentary

Election date: 8 February 2005

Compulsory voting: No

Government

Type: Constitutional monarchy

Chief of State: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972)

Party in Government: Liberal Party

Prime Minister: Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001)

Branches: Executive-Queen (chief of state) and Prime Minister (head of government), cabinet.

Legislative—a unicameral People's Assembly or Folketing of 179 seats, including two from Greenland and two from the Faroe Islands. Members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms.

Judicial- the Supreme Court is appointed

Political parties (represented in Parliament): Venstre (Liberal), Social Democratic, Conservative, Socialist People's, Social Liberal, Unity List, Danish People's, Christian People's.

Suffrage: universal at 18

Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s Liberal Party (Venstre) regained the largest number of seats in parliament, thereby winning its second term in office. The governing coalition between the Liberals and the Conservative People’s Party remains intact. An Australian newspaper article entitled Pragmatic PM averts Danish turnover dated 10 February 2005 discusses Rasmussen’s winning campaign which was dominated by economic policies and restrictive immigration rules and comments on the worst defeat since 1973 of the main opposition Social Democrats headed  by Mogens Lykketoft

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Last reviewed 22 September, 2005 by the Parliamentary Library Web Manager
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