Social Democrats lead Denmark's election, neither bloc wins majority

Denmark's Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, remained the largest party in Tuesday's parliamentary election, according to preliminary results from Denmark proper early Wednesday.

But neither the left-leaning red bloc nor the right-leaning blue bloc secured an outright majority in the Folketing, the unicameral Danish parliament.

The Folketing comprises 179 seats in total -- 175 elected in Denmark proper, plus two each from Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Results from Greenland and the Faroe Islands are yet to be finalized.

"Of course, I am disappointed that we did not get more votes. But there is nothing today that can stop me from being proud that the Social Democrats have once again become the Danes’ clearly preferred political party," said Frederiksen.

Preliminary results from Denmark proper showed that the Social Democrats won about 21.9 percent of the vote and 38 seats, down by 12 from the previous election. The Socialist People's Party secured 20 seats, followed by Venstre (the Liberal Party of Denmark) with 18 seats. Liberal Alliance and the Danish People's Party each took 16 seats.

Based on the tally for Denmark proper, the red bloc secured 84 seats, compared with 77 for the blue bloc. Since a majority in the Folketing requires 90 seats, the Moderates, which won 14 seats, were expected to play a pivotal role in the coming negotiations on government formation.

Morten Messerschmidt, the leader of the Danish People's Party, said he feels great to see more voters supporting his party in this election.

"The last election three years ago, we were almost eradicated with only two percent of the votes, and now we are between nine and ten. So it's like a quadrupling or whatever you call it. So that's quite remarkable, quite amazing. It feels great, I must say," he said.

Speaking after the vote, Frederiksen signaled that she was prepared to take responsibility in the upcoming negotiations and continue seeking to lead the country, while acknowledging that talks to form a new government were unlikely to be easy.

Under Denmark's multi-party parliamentary system, elections often lead to coalition or minority governments. Talks among party leaders will determine the formation of the new government.

Social Democrats lead Denmark's election, neither bloc wins majority

China, on behalf of 60 countries, delivered a joint statement at the 61st session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Tuesday, elaborating on the rich human rights implications of the Global Governance Initiative and calling on all parties to jointly build a fair, just and mutually beneficial global human rights governance system.

Jia Guide, China's permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said the world is currently in turbulence and transformation, with the UN and multilateralism facing headwinds, which underscores the urgent need to enhance the effectiveness of global governance.

Therefore, he put forward three proposals:

First, to uphold sovereign equality and observe international rule of law, adhere to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, ensure the equal and uniform application of international law and rules, and jointly oppose any manipulation of double standards in the name of human rights.

Second, to practice multilateralism and jointly address challenges, steadily advance UN human rights reforms, enhance the representation and voice of developing countries, and properly respond to emerging human rights challenges.

Third, to promote a people-centered and action-oriented approach, place the right to development in a more prominent position on the multilateral human rights agenda, and provide greater capacity-building support for developing countries.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative in September 2025, it has received support and response from more than 150 countries and international organizations. Under its guidance, China has established the Group of Friends of Global Governance.

The Tuesday joint statement helped build a broad consensus and contributed to advancing the implementation of the Global Governance Initiative.

China calls for improved global human rights governance on behalf of 60 countries