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Venstre (Denmark)

Venstre[note 1] (Danish pronunciation: [ˈvenstʁɐ], lit.'Left'), full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti (English: Left, Denmark's Liberal Party), is a conservative-liberal,[2][3][4] agrarian[10] political party in Denmark. Founded as part of a peasants' movement against the landed aristocracy, today it espouses an economically liberal, pro-free-market ideology.[11]

Venstre, Denmark's Liberal Party
Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti
LeaderJakob Ellemann-Jensen
Founded1870, total reform in 1910
HeadquartersSøllerødvej 30,
2840 Holte
Youth wingVenstres Ungdom
Student wingLiberal Students of Denmark
Membership (2020)30,791[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right[7]
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
International affiliationLiberal International
European Parliament groupRenew Europe
Nordic affiliationCentre Group
Colours  Navy blue
SloganFrihed og fællesskab ("Freedom and community")
Folketing
23 / 179
European Parliament
4 / 14
Regions[8]
54 / 205
Municipalities[9]
619 / 2,436
Mayors
34 / 98
Election symbol
Party flag
Website
www.venstre.dk

Venstre is the major party of the centre-right in Denmark, and the second-largest party in the country. The party has produced many Prime Ministers. In the 2019 general elections, Venstre received 23.4% of the vote and 43 out of 179 seats. Its current leader is Jakob Ellemann-Jensen following the resignation of Lars Løkke Rasmussen as chairman on 31 August 2019.[12] Since December 2022, the party has been a junior partner in the second Frederiksen government.

The party is a member of Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and has four MEPs in the European Parliament.[13]

History

 
Venstre 1945 election material ("Venstre has been dealt a good hand")

1870–1910

Venstre was founded in 1870 under the name Det Forenede Venstre ("The United Left") and originally consisted of multiple conflicting groups, all united under the classical liberal (then the standard left-wing) ideology, the safeguarding of farmers' interests and opposition to the then right-wing classical conservative party Højre (literally "Right"). After the party in 1872 gained an absolute majority in the Folketing, it became the leading voice in the battle for parliamentarism, whereafter the party in 1895 split in two, Venstrereformpartiet ("Venstre Reform Party") and Det Moderate Venstre ("The Moderate Left"). In 1905, social liberal factions split from the party and formed Radikale Venstre (also known as the Danish Social Liberal Party), and in 1910 Venstrereformpartiet and Det Moderate Venstre reunited again under the name Venstre.[14]

1910–2009

With the decreasing numbers of farms and the growing urbanisation, membership and voter support dropped in the 1950s. During the 1960s the party gradually evolved from being a traditional farmers' party to a more general liberal party. In 1984 Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was elected chairman, and by profiling the liberal ideology in sharp confrontation to the Social Democrats, for example by campaigning for a reduction of the public sector, increasing market management and privatisation, and by being pro-EU, the party returned to its historical position as the biggest liberal party in the 1990s.[14]

After a disappointing 1998 general election, Ellemann-Jensen resigned as chairman and Anders Fogh Rasmussen was elected in his place. He immediately changed the party's usual confrontational strategy, instead appealing to the political centre. In the 2001 general elections the party campaigned for tighter immigration policies and a "tax stop", which proved successful and the party once again became the biggest in parliament, winning 31.2% of the vote and 56 seats. Venstre formed a coalition government with the Conservative People's Party and the Danish People's Party. For the first time since 1929 a liberal government was no longer dependent on the centre parties. Despite a small decline in both the 2005 general elections (29% and 52 seats) and the 2007 general elections (26.2% and 46 seats), the party remained the biggest and the coalition government continued.[14]

On 5 April 2009 Fogh Rasmussen resigned as chairman, instead serving as Secretary General of NATO. In his place Lars Løkke Rasmussen was elected.[15]

2009–present

In the 2011 general elections the party gained 26.7% of the vote and 47 seats, but was not able to form a government, instead leading the opposition of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's Social Democratic coalition.

Even though the party lost voter support in the 2015 general elections, only gaining 19.5% of the vote, the party formed a minority government. This government was short-lived, and in 2016 Løkke Rasmussen invited the Conservative People's Party and the Liberal Alliance to form a coalition government instead.[16]

During the campaign of the 2019 general elections Løkke Rasmussen published an autobiography, in which he opened up for the possibility of forming a government with the Social Democrats.[17] This was seen as controversial in the liberal "blue bloc", and Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen immediately declined the proposition.[18]

Following internal fighting in the party, Løkke Rasmussen and vice chairman Kristian Jensen both resigned on 31 August 2019. On 21 September 2019 political spokesman and former Minister for Environment and Food Jakob Ellemann-Jensen was elected the party's next chairman.[19]

Following the 2022 general election, in which Venstre suffered its worst result since 1988, Venstre joined a grand coalition government led by Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen, and also comprising the Moderates, a Venstre splinter formed by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.[20]

Ideology

Venstre is categorised as centre-right on the political spectrum,[7] although it has been also described as centrist[21][22] and right-wing.[23][24][25] Ideologically, it has been described as conservative-liberal,[2][3][4] classical-liberal,[26] liberal-conservative,[27][28][29][30] liberal,[31][32][33][34] and conservative.[35][36] Additionally, Venstre takes a tough stance regarding immigration and asylums; they had also said that "immigrants should learn Danish and understand and respect Danish culture and traditions".[37][38]

Venstre is a market liberal party[31][39] within the Nordic agrarian tradition,[40] and today is notably more pro–free market than its sister parties.[41][needs update] Since the elections in 2001, Venstre has enacted a so-called "tax stop" in order to halt the growth in taxes seen during the previous eight years under the Social Democrats. This tax stop has been under heavy fire from the parties on the left wing of Danish politics, allegedly for being "asocial" and "only for the rich."[42][43]

Prime Ministers

Leaders since 1929

No. Portrait Leader Took office Left office Time in office
1
 
Madsen, ThomasThomas Madsen-Mygdal
(1876–1943)
1929194111–12 years
2
 
Kristensen, KnudKnud Kristensen
(1880–1962)
194119497–8 years
3
 
Sørensen, EdvardEdvard Sørensen
(1893–1954)
194919500–1 years
4
 
Eriksen, ErikErik Eriksen
(1902–1972)
195024 May 196514–15 years
5
 
Hartling, PoulPoul Hartling
(1914–2000)
24 May 1965December 197712 years, 191 days
6
 
Christophersen, HenningHenning Christophersen
(1939–2016)
September 197823 July 19845 years, 326 days
7
 
Ellemann, UffeUffe Ellemann-Jensen
(1941–2022)
23 July 198418 March 199813 years, 238 days
8
 
Rasmussen, AndersAnders Fogh Rasmussen
(born 1953)
18 March 199817 May 200911 years, 60 days
9
 
Rasmussen, LarsLars Løkke Rasmussen
(born 1964)
17 May 200931 August 201910 years, 106 days
 
Jensen, KristianKristian Jensen
(born 1971)
Acting
31 August 201921 September 201921 days
10
 
Jensen, KristianJakob Ellemann-Jensen
(born 1973)
21 September 2019Incumbent3 years, 139 days

Origin of the name

The fact that the major centre-right political party in a country calls itself 'Left' is often confusing to foreign (and sometimes Danish) observers. The name has, however, its historical explanation. At the time of its foundation, Venstre affirmed then-progressive ideas in the Danish parliament. Their opponents, Højre (Right), the forerunner of the present-day Conservative People's Party, advocated for established interests, particularly the Church of Denmark and the landed gentry. In current Danish politics there is a clear distinction between the concepts of Venstre (Left, i.e., the party bearing that name) and venstrefløj (left wing, i.e., socialist and other left-leaning parties). The use of the word for "left" in the name of the Danish political party Radikale Venstre (literally: "Radical Left") and the Norwegian party Venstre is meant to refer to liberalism and not socialism.

Members of the party are referred to as venstremænd and venstrekvinder, respectively "Venstre men" and "Venstre women" (singular: -mand, -kvinde).

Election results

Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/- Government
1872
53 / 104
New Opposition
1873
51 / 104
  2 Opposition
1876
74 / 104
  23 Opposition
1879
65 / 104
  9 Opposition
1881
(May)
69 / 102
  4 Opposition
1881
(Jul)
75 / 102
  6 Opposition
1884 80,000 56.3 (#1)
81 / 102
  6 Opposition
1887 132,000 58.1 (#1)
74 / 102
  7 Opposition
1890 123,000 53.0 (#1)
75 / 102
  1 Opposition
1892 63,000 28.1 (#3)
30 / 102
  45 Opposition
1895 89,530 40.5 (#1)
53 / 114
  23 Opposition
1898 98,070 43.6 (#1)
63 / 114
  10 Opposition
1901 103,495 45.9 (#1)
76 / 114
  13 Majority
1903 121,357 49.4 (#1)
73 / 114
  3 Majority
1906 94,272 31.2 (#1)
56 / 114
  17 Minority
1909 77,949 24.0 (#1)
37 / 114
  19 Minority (1909)
Opposition (1909–1910)
1910 118,902 34.1 (#1)
57 / 114
  20 Majority
1913 103,917 28.6 (#2)
44 / 114
  13 Opposition
1915 8,081 62.8 (#1)
43 / 114
  1 Opposition
1918 269,646 29.4 (#1)
45 / 140
  2 Opposition
1920
(Apr)
350,563 34.2 (#1)
48 / 140
  3 Minority
1920
(Jul)
344,351 36.1 (#1)
51 / 140
  3 Minority
1920
(Sep)
411,661 34.0 (#1)
51 / 149
  0 Minority
1924 362,682 28.3 (#2)
44 / 149
  7 Opposition
1926 378,137 28.3 (#2)
46 / 149
  2 Minority
1929 402,121 28.3 (#2)
43 / 149
  3 Opposition
1932 381,862 24.7 (#2)
38 / 149
  5 Opposition
1935 292,247 17.8 (#2)
28 / 149
  10 Opposition
1939 309,355 18.2 (#2)
30 / 149
  2 Opposition (1939–1940)
Coalition (1940–1943)
1943 376,850 18.7 (#3)
28 / 149
  2 Coalition
1945 479,158 23.4 (#2)
38 / 149
  10 Minority
1947 529,066 25.4 (#2)
46 / 150
  8 Opposition
1950 438,188 21.3 (#2)
32 / 151
  14 Coalition
1953
(Apr)
456,896 22.1 (#2)
33 / 151
  1 Coalition
1953
(Sep)
499,656 23.1 (#2)
42 / 179
  9 Opposition
1957 578,932 25.1 (#2)
45 / 179
  3 Opposition
1960 512,041 21.1 (#2)
38 / 179
  7 Opposition
1964 547,770 20.8 (#2)
38 / 179
  0 Opposition
1966 539,027 19.3 (#2)
35 / 179
  3 Opposition
1968 530,167 18.6 (#3)
34 / 179
  1 Coalition
1971 450,904 15.6 (#3)
30 / 179
  4 Opposition
1973 374,283 12.3 (#3)
22 / 179
  8 Minority
1975 711,298 23.3 (#2)
42 / 179
  20 Opposition
1977 371,728 12.0 (#3)
21 / 179
  21 Opposition (1977–1978)
Coalition (1978–1979)
1979 396,484 12.5 (#2)
22 / 179
  1 Opposition
1981 353,280 11.3 (#4)
20 / 179
  2 Opposition (1981–1982)
Coalition (1982–1984)
1984 405,737 12.1 (#3)
22 / 179
  2 Coalition
1987 354,291 10.5 (#4)
19 / 179
  3 Coalition
1988 394,190 11.8 (#4)
22 / 179
  3 Coalition
1990 511,643 15.8 (#3)
29 / 179
  7 Coalition (1990–1993)
Opposition (1993–1994)
1994 775,176 23.3 (#2)
42 / 179
  13 Opposition
1998 817,894 24.0 (#2)
42 / 179
  0 Opposition
2001 1,077,858 31.2 (#1)
56 / 179
  14 Coalition
2005 974,636 29.0 (#1)
52 / 179
  4 Coalition
2007 908,472 26.2 (#1)
46 / 179
  6 Coalition
2011 947,725 26.7 (#1)
47 / 179
  1 Opposition
2015 685,188 19.5 (#3)
34 / 179
  13 Minority (2015–2016)
Coalition (2016–2019)
2019 825,486 23.4 (#2)
43 / 179
  9 Opposition
2022 460,546 13.3 (#2)
23 / 179
  20 Coalition

Local elections

Municipal elections
Year Seats
# ±
1925
2,291 / 11,289
1929
2,615 / 11,329
  324
1933
2,692 / 11,424
  77
1937
2,374 / 11,425
  318
1943
2,217 / 10,569
  157
1946
2,519 / 11,488
  302
1950
2,342 / 11,499
  177
1954
2,353 / 11,505
  11
1958
2,405 / 11,529
  52
1962
2,196 / 11,414
  209
1966
1,747 / 10,005
  449
Municipal reform
1970
1,080 / 4,677
  667
1974
1,277 / 4,735
  197
1978
1,155 / 4,759
  122
1981
1,240 / 4,769
  85
1985
1,201 / 4,773
  39
1989
1,261 / 4,737
  60
1993
1,601 / 4,703
  340
1997
1,557 / 4,685
  44
2001
1,666 / 4,647
  109
Municipal reform
2005
804 / 2,522
  862
2009
699 / 2,468
  105
2013
767 / 2,444
  68
2017
688 / 2,432
  79
2021
620 / 2,436
  68
 
Regional elections
Year Seats
# ±
1935 217,375
124 / 299
New
1943 300,241
123 / 299
  1
1946 368,040
139 / 299
  16
1950 348,861
128 / 299
  11
1954 355,295
127 / 299
  1
1958 412,111
135 / 303
  8
1962 387,628
127 / 301
  8
1966 402,574
115 / 303
  12
Municipal reform
1970 449,479
95 / 366
  20
1974 400,062
98 / 370
  3
1978 411,812
90 / 370
  8
1981 457,565
84 / 370
  6
1985 418,149
83 / 374
  1
1989 451,807
89 / 374
  6
1993 717,536
125 / 374
  36
1997 665,857
124 / 374
  1
2001 963,220
139 / 374
  15
Municipal reform
2005 744,466
60 / 205
  79
2009 648,903
54 / 205
  6
2013 809,664
62 / 205
  8
2017
54 / 205
  8
2021
54 / 205
  0
 
Mayors
Year Seats
No. ±
2005
35 / 98
2009
31 / 98
  4
2013
48 / 98
  17
2017
37 / 98
  11
2021
35 / 98
  2

European Parliament

Election year # of votes % of votes # of seats won +/- Notes
1979 252,767 14.5 (#3)
3 / 16
1984 248,397 12.5 (#4)
2 / 16
  1
1989 297,565 16.6 (#3)
3 / 16
  1
1994 394,362 19.0 (#1)
4 / 16
  1
1999 460,834 23.4 (#1)
5 / 16
  1
2004 366,734 19.4 (#2)
3 / 14
  2
2009 474,041 20.2 (#2)
3 / 13
  0
2014 379,840 17.7 (#3)
2 / 13
  1
2019 648,203 23.5 (#1)
4 / 14
  2

European representation

In the European Parliament, Venstre sits in the Renew Europe group with four MEPs.[44][45][46][47]

In the European Committee of the Regions, Venstre sits in the Renew Europe CoR group, with three full and two alternate members for the 2020–2025 mandate.[48][49]

Youth and student wings

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom.

References

  1. ^ "Hvor mange medlemmer har de politiske partier?". Folketinget. November 28, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Emil Joseph Kirchner; Alistair H. Thomas (1988). Liberal Parties in Western Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-521-32394-9. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Hans Slomp (2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. pp. 415, 420. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Denmark". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  5. ^ Svante Ersson; Jan-Erik Lane (1998). Politics and Society in Western Europe. SAGE. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7619-5862-8. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  6. ^ Christensen, Nikolaj (2022). Unorganized Religion: Pentecostalism and Secularization in Denmark, 1907-1924. Brill. p. 25. ISBN 9789004509900. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Josep M. Colomer (2008). Political Institutions in Europe. Routledge. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-134-07354-2.
  8. ^ "AKVA3: Valg til regions råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  9. ^ "VALGK3: Valg til kommunale råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  10. ^ Nanna Kildal; Stein Kuhnle (2007). Normative Foundations of the Welfare State: The Nordic Experience. Routledge. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-134-27283-9.
  11. ^ Åsa Bengtsson; Kasper Hansen; Ólafur Þ Harõarson; Hanne Marthe Narud; Henrik Oscarsson (2013). The Nordic Voter: Myths of Exceptionalism. ECPR Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-907301-50-6.
  12. ^ Kristiansen, Cecilie Lund; Larsen, Johan Blem (August 31, 2019). "Lars Løkke trækker sig som Venstres formand". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  13. ^ . DR. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  14. ^ a b c Bille, Lars; Rüdiger, Mogens. "Venstre". danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish). Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Lund, Kenneth (April 5, 2009). "Anders Fogh er trådt tilbage". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  16. ^ Bille, Lars; Bille, Mogens (February 2, 2009). "Venstre | Gyldendal - Den Store Danske". denstoredanske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  17. ^ "Løkke åbner for SV-regering efter valget". DR (in Danish). May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Mette Frederiksen afviser Løkke: SV-regering kan ikke komme på tale". DR (in Danish). May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Jakob Ellemann-Jensen er valgt som Venstres nye formand". Politiken (in Danish). September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  20. ^ https://www.politico.eu/article/mette-frederiksen-denmark-social-democrats-agree-to-form-rare-centrist-government/
  21. ^ "Socialists call for 'cordon sanitaire' around Europe's far right". EUobserver. October 15, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  22. ^ Castle, Stephen (May 6, 2019). "Brexit? Danes Have Seen This Show, and It Doesn't End Well". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  23. ^ "DF considers new role in government". The Local Denmark. June 19, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "Despite condemnations, Denmark passes controversial 'jewellery' law". www.euractiv.com. January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  25. ^ "Danish eurosceptics say 'no thanks' to EU justice rules". France 24. December 3, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  26. ^ Thomas J. DiLorenzo, ed. (2016). The Problem with Socialism. Simon and Schuster. p. 82. ISBN 9781621575979.
  27. ^ "Keiner der beiden Blöcke hat Mehrheit". Tagesschau. November 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Seltenes Zweckbündnis: Dänemarks neue Regierung steht". Handelsblatt. December 14, 2022.
  29. ^ Hermann, Rudolf (February 12, 2018). "Dänemarks Sozialdemokraten überholen rechts". Neue Züricher Zeitung.
  30. ^ "Neue Drei-Parteien-Regierung in Dänemark steht". Rheinische Post. December 13, 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Very Libérål". Süddeutsche Zeitung. April 6, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  32. ^ "Europawahl in Dänemark: Katastrophenwahl für dänische Rechtspopulisten". Münchner Merkur. May 27, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  33. ^ Christopher Munthe Morgenstierne, ed. (2003). Denmark and National Liberation in Southern Africa: A Flexible Response. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 106. ISBN 9789171065179. On August 30 , the 'SV-government', a coalition between the Social Democratic party and the liberal Venstre, was formed.
  34. ^ Irène Bellier; Thomas M. Wilson (eds.). An Anthropology of the European Union: Building, Imagining and Experiencing the New Europe. Routledge. ISBN 9781000181067. However, Nordic particularism was also used to justify a 'yes' vote, as in this speech given to a local meeting by a Liberal (Venstre) member of parliament, and reported in Skive Folkeblad on 6 March: ...
  35. ^ Oskar Niedermayer; Richard Stöss; Melanie Haas (2007). Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas. Springer-Verlag. pp. 17, 74. ISBN 9783531900612. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  36. ^ Robert Bohn (2016). "X. Industrialisierung und politischer Wandel". Dänische Geschichte. C.H.Beck. ISBN 9783406691294. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  37. ^ "The Local's party guide: Venstre". The Local Denmark. June 12, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  38. ^ Dickheiwer, Robin (October 27, 2022). "The Copenhagen Post". Copenhagen Post (in Danish). Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  39. ^ Dimitri Almeida (2012). The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus. Routledge. p. 98–. ISBN 978-0-415-69374-5.
  40. ^ Almeida, Dimitri. "Liberal Parties and European Integration" (PDF).
  41. ^ Esaiasson, Peter; Heidar, Knut (1999). Beyond Westminster and Congress: the Nordic experience. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. p. 377. ISBN 978-0-8142-0839-7.
  42. ^ "Kritik af skattereform: De rige vinder og de fattige taber". www.bt.dk. February 24, 2009.
  43. ^ "AE: Skattestop forgylder de rige". Politiken. September 4, 2002.
  44. ^ "Home | Asger CHRISTENSEN | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  45. ^ "Home | Søren GADE | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  46. ^ "Home | Morten LØKKEGAARD | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  47. ^ "Home | Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  48. ^ "Members Page CoR".
  49. ^ "Members Page CoR".

Further reading

  • Tom Matz (2004), Venstre ved du hvor du har (in Danish). ForlagsKompagniet: Nørhaven Book.

External links

  • (in Danish) Venstre official site
  • Denmark's Liberal Party presentation in English
  • (in Danish)

venstre, denmark, venstre, note, danish, pronunciation, ˈvenstʁɐ, left, full, name, venstre, danmarks, liberale, parti, english, left, denmark, liberal, party, conservative, liberal, agrarian, political, party, denmark, founded, part, peasants, movement, again. Venstre note 1 Danish pronunciation ˈvenstʁɐ lit Left full name Venstre Danmarks Liberale Parti English Left Denmark s Liberal Party is a conservative liberal 2 3 4 agrarian 10 political party in Denmark Founded as part of a peasants movement against the landed aristocracy today it espouses an economically liberal pro free market ideology 11 Venstre Denmark s Liberal Party Venstre Danmarks Liberale PartiLeaderJakob Ellemann JensenFounded1870 total reform in 1910HeadquartersSollerodvej 30 2840 HolteYouth wingVenstres UngdomStudent wingLiberal Students of DenmarkMembership 2020 30 791 1 IdeologyConservative liberalism 2 3 4 Agrarianism 4 5 6 Political positionCentre right 7 European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for EuropeInternational affiliationLiberal InternationalEuropean Parliament groupRenew EuropeNordic affiliationCentre GroupColours Navy blueSloganFrihed og faellesskab Freedom and community Folketing23 179European Parliament4 14Regions 8 54 205Municipalities 9 619 2 436Mayors34 98Election symbolParty flagWebsitewww wbr venstre wbr dkPolitics of DenmarkPolitical partiesElectionsVenstre is the major party of the centre right in Denmark and the second largest party in the country The party has produced many Prime Ministers In the 2019 general elections Venstre received 23 4 of the vote and 43 out of 179 seats Its current leader is Jakob Ellemann Jensen following the resignation of Lars Lokke Rasmussen as chairman on 31 August 2019 12 Since December 2022 the party has been a junior partner in the second Frederiksen government The party is a member of Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE and has four MEPs in the European Parliament 13 Contents 1 History 1 1 1870 1910 1 2 1910 2009 1 3 2009 present 2 Ideology 2 1 Prime Ministers 2 2 Leaders since 1929 2 3 Origin of the name 3 Election results 3 1 Parliament 3 2 Local elections 3 3 European Parliament 4 European representation 5 Youth and student wings 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksHistory Edit Venstre 1945 election material Venstre has been dealt a good hand 1870 1910 Edit Venstre was founded in 1870 under the name Det Forenede Venstre The United Left and originally consisted of multiple conflicting groups all united under the classical liberal then the standard left wing ideology the safeguarding of farmers interests and opposition to the then right wing classical conservative party Hojre literally Right After the party in 1872 gained an absolute majority in the Folketing it became the leading voice in the battle for parliamentarism whereafter the party in 1895 split in two Venstrereformpartiet Venstre Reform Party and Det Moderate Venstre The Moderate Left In 1905 social liberal factions split from the party and formed Radikale Venstre also known as the Danish Social Liberal Party and in 1910 Venstrereformpartiet and Det Moderate Venstre reunited again under the name Venstre 14 1910 2009 Edit With the decreasing numbers of farms and the growing urbanisation membership and voter support dropped in the 1950s During the 1960s the party gradually evolved from being a traditional farmers party to a more general liberal party In 1984 Uffe Ellemann Jensen was elected chairman and by profiling the liberal ideology in sharp confrontation to the Social Democrats for example by campaigning for a reduction of the public sector increasing market management and privatisation and by being pro EU the party returned to its historical position as the biggest liberal party in the 1990s 14 After a disappointing 1998 general election Ellemann Jensen resigned as chairman and Anders Fogh Rasmussen was elected in his place He immediately changed the party s usual confrontational strategy instead appealing to the political centre In the 2001 general elections the party campaigned for tighter immigration policies and a tax stop which proved successful and the party once again became the biggest in parliament winning 31 2 of the vote and 56 seats Venstre formed a coalition government with the Conservative People s Party and the Danish People s Party For the first time since 1929 a liberal government was no longer dependent on the centre parties Despite a small decline in both the 2005 general elections 29 and 52 seats and the 2007 general elections 26 2 and 46 seats the party remained the biggest and the coalition government continued 14 On 5 April 2009 Fogh Rasmussen resigned as chairman instead serving as Secretary General of NATO In his place Lars Lokke Rasmussen was elected 15 2009 present Edit In the 2011 general elections the party gained 26 7 of the vote and 47 seats but was not able to form a government instead leading the opposition of Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt s Social Democratic coalition Even though the party lost voter support in the 2015 general elections only gaining 19 5 of the vote the party formed a minority government This government was short lived and in 2016 Lokke Rasmussen invited the Conservative People s Party and the Liberal Alliance to form a coalition government instead 16 During the campaign of the 2019 general elections Lokke Rasmussen published an autobiography in which he opened up for the possibility of forming a government with the Social Democrats 17 This was seen as controversial in the liberal blue bloc and Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen immediately declined the proposition 18 Following internal fighting in the party Lokke Rasmussen and vice chairman Kristian Jensen both resigned on 31 August 2019 On 21 September 2019 political spokesman and former Minister for Environment and Food Jakob Ellemann Jensen was elected the party s next chairman 19 Following the 2022 general election in which Venstre suffered its worst result since 1988 Venstre joined a grand coalition government led by Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen and also comprising the Moderates a Venstre splinter formed by former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen 20 Ideology EditVenstre is categorised as centre right on the political spectrum 7 although it has been also described as centrist 21 22 and right wing 23 24 25 Ideologically it has been described as conservative liberal 2 3 4 classical liberal 26 liberal conservative 27 28 29 30 liberal 31 32 33 34 and conservative 35 36 Additionally Venstre takes a tough stance regarding immigration and asylums they had also said that immigrants should learn Danish and understand and respect Danish culture and traditions 37 38 Venstre is a market liberal party 31 39 within the Nordic agrarian tradition 40 and today is notably more pro free market than its sister parties 41 needs update Since the elections in 2001 Venstre has enacted a so called tax stop in order to halt the growth in taxes seen during the previous eight years under the Social Democrats This tax stop has been under heavy fire from the parties on the left wing of Danish politics allegedly for being asocial and only for the rich 42 43 Prime Ministers Edit Johan Henrik Deuntzer July 24 1901 January 14 1905 Jens Christian Christensen January 14 1905 October 12 1908 Niels Neergaard October 12 1908 August 16 1909 Ludvig Holstein Ledreborg August 16 1909 October 28 1909 Klaus Berntsen July 5 1910 June 21 1913 Niels Neergaard May 5 1920 April 23 1924 Thomas Madsen Mygdal December 14 1926 April 30 1929 Knud Kristensen November 7 1945 November 13 1947 Erik Eriksen October 30 1950 September 30 1953 Poul Hartling December 19 1973 February 13 1975 Anders Fogh Rasmussen November 27 2001 April 5 2009 Lars Lokke Rasmussen April 5 2009 October 3 2011 June 28 2015 June 27 2019 Leaders since 1929 Edit No Portrait Leader Took office Left office Time in office1 Madsen Thomas Thomas Madsen Mygdal 1876 1943 1929194111 12 years2 Kristensen Knud Knud Kristensen 1880 1962 194119497 8 years3 Sorensen Edvard Edvard Sorensen 1893 1954 194919500 1 years4 Eriksen Erik Erik Eriksen 1902 1972 195024 May 196514 15 years5 Hartling Poul Poul Hartling 1914 2000 24 May 1965December 197712 years 191 days6 Christophersen Henning Henning Christophersen 1939 2016 September 197823 July 19845 years 326 days7 Ellemann Uffe Uffe Ellemann Jensen 1941 2022 23 July 198418 March 199813 years 238 days8 Rasmussen Anders Anders Fogh Rasmussen born 1953 18 March 199817 May 200911 years 60 days9 Rasmussen Lars Lars Lokke Rasmussen born 1964 17 May 200931 August 201910 years 106 days Jensen Kristian Kristian Jensen born 1971 Acting31 August 201921 September 201921 days10 Jensen Kristian Jakob Ellemann Jensen born 1973 21 September 2019Incumbent3 years 139 daysOrigin of the name Edit The fact that the major centre right political party in a country calls itself Left is often confusing to foreign and sometimes Danish observers The name has however its historical explanation At the time of its foundation Venstre affirmed then progressive ideas in the Danish parliament Their opponents Hojre Right the forerunner of the present day Conservative People s Party advocated for established interests particularly the Church of Denmark and the landed gentry In current Danish politics there is a clear distinction between the concepts of Venstre Left i e the party bearing that name and venstrefloj left wing i e socialist and other left leaning parties The use of the word for left in the name of the Danish political party Radikale Venstre literally Radical Left and the Norwegian party Venstre is meant to refer to liberalism and not socialism Members of the party are referred to as venstremaend and venstrekvinder respectively Venstre men and Venstre women singular mand kvinde Election results EditParliament Edit Election Votes Seats Government1872 53 104 New Opposition1873 51 104 2 Opposition1876 74 104 23 Opposition1879 65 104 9 Opposition1881 May 69 102 4 Opposition1881 Jul 75 102 6 Opposition1884 80 000 56 3 1 81 102 6 Opposition1887 132 000 58 1 1 74 102 7 Opposition1890 123 000 53 0 1 75 102 1 Opposition1892 63 000 28 1 3 30 102 45 Opposition1895 89 530 40 5 1 53 114 23 Opposition1898 98 070 43 6 1 63 114 10 Opposition1901 103 495 45 9 1 76 114 13 Majority1903 121 357 49 4 1 73 114 3 Majority1906 94 272 31 2 1 56 114 17 Minority1909 77 949 24 0 1 37 114 19 Minority 1909 Opposition 1909 1910 1910 118 902 34 1 1 57 114 20 Majority1913 103 917 28 6 2 44 114 13 Opposition1915 8 081 62 8 1 43 114 1 Opposition1918 269 646 29 4 1 45 140 2 Opposition1920 Apr 350 563 34 2 1 48 140 3 Minority1920 Jul 344 351 36 1 1 51 140 3 Minority1920 Sep 411 661 34 0 1 51 149 0 Minority1924 362 682 28 3 2 44 149 7 Opposition1926 378 137 28 3 2 46 149 2 Minority1929 402 121 28 3 2 43 149 3 Opposition1932 381 862 24 7 2 38 149 5 Opposition1935 292 247 17 8 2 28 149 10 Opposition1939 309 355 18 2 2 30 149 2 Opposition 1939 1940 Coalition 1940 1943 1943 376 850 18 7 3 28 149 2 Coalition1945 479 158 23 4 2 38 149 10 Minority1947 529 066 25 4 2 46 150 8 Opposition1950 438 188 21 3 2 32 151 14 Coalition1953 Apr 456 896 22 1 2 33 151 1 Coalition1953 Sep 499 656 23 1 2 42 179 9 Opposition1957 578 932 25 1 2 45 179 3 Opposition1960 512 041 21 1 2 38 179 7 Opposition1964 547 770 20 8 2 38 179 0 Opposition1966 539 027 19 3 2 35 179 3 Opposition1968 530 167 18 6 3 34 179 1 Coalition1971 450 904 15 6 3 30 179 4 Opposition1973 374 283 12 3 3 22 179 8 Minority1975 711 298 23 3 2 42 179 20 Opposition1977 371 728 12 0 3 21 179 21 Opposition 1977 1978 Coalition 1978 1979 1979 396 484 12 5 2 22 179 1 Opposition1981 353 280 11 3 4 20 179 2 Opposition 1981 1982 Coalition 1982 1984 1984 405 737 12 1 3 22 179 2 Coalition1987 354 291 10 5 4 19 179 3 Coalition1988 394 190 11 8 4 22 179 3 Coalition1990 511 643 15 8 3 29 179 7 Coalition 1990 1993 Opposition 1993 1994 1994 775 176 23 3 2 42 179 13 Opposition1998 817 894 24 0 2 42 179 0 Opposition2001 1 077 858 31 2 1 56 179 14 Coalition2005 974 636 29 0 1 52 179 4 Coalition2007 908 472 26 2 1 46 179 6 Coalition2011 947 725 26 7 1 47 179 1 Opposition2015 685 188 19 5 3 34 179 13 Minority 2015 2016 Coalition 2016 2019 2019 825 486 23 4 2 43 179 9 Opposition2022 460 546 13 3 2 23 179 20 CoalitionLocal elections Edit Municipal electionsYear Seats 1925 2 291 11 2891929 2 615 11 329 3241933 2 692 11 424 771937 2 374 11 425 3181943 2 217 10 569 1571946 2 519 11 488 3021950 2 342 11 499 1771954 2 353 11 505 111958 2 405 11 529 521962 2 196 11 414 2091966 1 747 10 005 449Municipal reform1970 1 080 4 677 6671974 1 277 4 735 1971978 1 155 4 759 1221981 1 240 4 769 851985 1 201 4 773 391989 1 261 4 737 601993 1 601 4 703 3401997 1 557 4 685 442001 1 666 4 647 109Municipal reform2005 804 2 522 8622009 699 2 468 1052013 767 2 444 682017 688 2 432 792021 620 2 436 68 Regional electionsYear Seats 1935 217 375 124 299 New1943 300 241 123 299 11946 368 040 139 299 161950 348 861 128 299 111954 355 295 127 299 11958 412 111 135 303 81962 387 628 127 301 81966 402 574 115 303 12Municipal reform1970 449 479 95 366 201974 400 062 98 370 31978 411 812 90 370 81981 457 565 84 370 61985 418 149 83 374 11989 451 807 89 374 61993 717 536 125 374 361997 665 857 124 374 12001 963 220 139 374 15Municipal reform2005 744 466 60 205 792009 648 903 54 205 62013 809 664 62 205 82017 54 205 82021 54 205 0 MayorsYear SeatsNo 2005 35 982009 31 98 42013 48 98 172017 37 98 112021 35 98 2European Parliament Edit Election year of votes of votes of seats won Notes1979 252 767 14 5 3 3 161984 248 397 12 5 4 2 16 11989 297 565 16 6 3 3 16 11994 394 362 19 0 1 4 16 11999 460 834 23 4 1 5 16 12004 366 734 19 4 2 3 14 22009 474 041 20 2 2 3 13 02014 379 840 17 7 3 2 13 12019 648 203 23 5 1 4 14 2European representation EditIn the European Parliament Venstre sits in the Renew Europe group with four MEPs 44 45 46 47 In the European Committee of the Regions Venstre sits in the Renew Europe CoR group with three full and two alternate members for the 2020 2025 mandate 48 49 Youth and student wings EditVenstres Ungdom Liberal Students of Denmark Danmarks Liberale Studerende See also EditLiberalism Contributions to liberal theory Liberalism worldwide List of liberal parties Liberal democracy Liberalism and radicalism in Denmark Nordic agrarian partiesNotes Edit The party name is officially not translated into any other language but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party Similar rules apply for the name of the party s youth wing Venstres Ungdom References Edit Hvor mange medlemmer har de politiske partier Folketinget November 28 2016 a b c Emil Joseph Kirchner Alistair H Thomas 1988 Liberal Parties in Western Europe Cambridge University Press p 280 ISBN 978 0 521 32394 9 Retrieved August 17 2012 a b c Hans Slomp 2011 Europe A Political Profile An American Companion to European Politics An American Companion to European Politics ABC CLIO pp 415 420 ISBN 978 0 313 39182 8 Retrieved August 17 2012 a b c d Nordsieck Wolfram 2019 Denmark Parties and Elections in Europe Svante Ersson Jan Erik Lane 1998 Politics and Society in Western Europe SAGE p 108 ISBN 978 0 7619 5862 8 Retrieved August 17 2012 Christensen Nikolaj 2022 Unorganized Religion Pentecostalism and Secularization in Denmark 1907 1924 Brill p 25 ISBN 9789004509900 Retrieved December 31 2022 a b Josep M Colomer 2008 Political Institutions in Europe Routledge p 260 ISBN 978 1 134 07354 2 AKVA3 Valg til regions rad efter omrade parti og stemmer kandidater kon Statistics Denmark Retrieved June 13 2010 VALGK3 Valg til kommunale rad efter omrade parti og stemmer kandidater kon Statistics Denmark Retrieved June 13 2010 Nanna Kildal Stein Kuhnle 2007 Normative Foundations of the Welfare State The Nordic Experience Routledge p 74 ISBN 978 1 134 27283 9 Asa Bengtsson Kasper Hansen olafur TH Haroarson Hanne Marthe Narud Henrik Oscarsson 2013 The Nordic Voter Myths of Exceptionalism ECPR Press p 206 ISBN 978 1 907301 50 6 Kristiansen Cecilie Lund Larsen Johan Blem August 31 2019 Lars Lokke traekker sig som Venstres formand Politiken in Danish Retrieved September 5 2019 Europavalg DR Archived from the original on October 21 2012 Retrieved June 7 2009 a b c Bille Lars Rudiger Mogens Venstre danmarkshistorien dk in Danish Retrieved September 3 2019 Lund Kenneth April 5 2009 Anders Fogh er tradt tilbage Politiken in Danish Retrieved September 6 2019 Bille Lars Bille Mogens February 2 2009 Venstre Gyldendal Den Store Danske denstoredanske dk in Danish Retrieved September 6 2019 Lokke abner for SV regering efter valget DR in Danish May 16 2019 Retrieved September 6 2019 Mette Frederiksen afviser Lokke SV regering kan ikke komme pa tale DR in Danish May 16 2019 Retrieved September 6 2019 Jakob Ellemann Jensen er valgt som Venstres nye formand Politiken in Danish September 21 2019 Retrieved September 21 2019 https www politico eu article mette frederiksen denmark social democrats agree to form rare centrist government Socialists call for cordon sanitaire around Europe s far right EUobserver October 15 2010 Retrieved January 5 2023 Castle Stephen May 6 2019 Brexit Danes Have Seen This Show and It Doesn t End Well The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 5 2023 DF considers new role in government The Local Denmark June 19 2015 Retrieved January 5 2023 Despite condemnations Denmark passes controversial jewellery law www euractiv com January 26 2016 Retrieved January 5 2023 Danish eurosceptics say no thanks to EU justice rules France 24 December 3 2015 Retrieved January 5 2023 Thomas J DiLorenzo ed 2016 The Problem with Socialism Simon and Schuster p 82 ISBN 9781621575979 Keiner der beiden Blocke hat Mehrheit Tagesschau November 1 2022 Seltenes Zweckbundnis Danemarks neue Regierung steht Handelsblatt December 14 2022 Hermann Rudolf February 12 2018 Danemarks Sozialdemokraten uberholen rechts Neue Zuricher Zeitung Neue Drei Parteien Regierung in Danemark steht Rheinische Post December 13 2022 a b Very Liberal Suddeutsche Zeitung April 6 2011 Retrieved December 31 2022 Europawahl in Danemark Katastrophenwahl fur danische Rechtspopulisten Munchner Merkur May 27 2019 Retrieved December 31 2022 Christopher Munthe Morgenstierne ed 2003 Denmark and National Liberation in Southern Africa A Flexible Response Nordic Africa Institute p 106 ISBN 9789171065179 On August 30 the SV government a coalition between the Social Democratic party and the liberal Venstre was formed Irene Bellier Thomas M Wilson eds An Anthropology of the European Union Building Imagining and Experiencing the New Europe Routledge ISBN 9781000181067 However Nordic particularism was also used to justify a yes vote as in this speech given to a local meeting by a Liberal Venstre member of parliament and reported in Skive Folkeblad on 6 March Oskar Niedermayer Richard Stoss Melanie Haas 2007 Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas Springer Verlag pp 17 74 ISBN 9783531900612 Retrieved December 31 2022 Robert Bohn 2016 X Industrialisierung und politischer Wandel Danische Geschichte C H Beck ISBN 9783406691294 Retrieved December 31 2022 The Local s party guide Venstre The Local Denmark June 12 2015 Retrieved January 5 2023 Dickheiwer Robin October 27 2022 The Copenhagen Post Copenhagen Post in Danish Retrieved January 5 2023 Dimitri Almeida 2012 The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties Beyond the Permissive Consensus Routledge p 98 ISBN 978 0 415 69374 5 Almeida Dimitri Liberal Parties and European Integration PDF Esaiasson Peter Heidar Knut 1999 Beyond Westminster and Congress the Nordic experience Columbus Ohio State University Press p 377 ISBN 978 0 8142 0839 7 Kritik af skattereform De rige vinder og de fattige taber www bt dk February 24 2009 AE Skattestop forgylder de rige Politiken September 4 2002 Home Asger CHRISTENSEN MEPs European Parliament www europarl europa eu Retrieved March 4 2021 Home Soren GADE MEPs European Parliament www europarl europa eu Retrieved March 4 2021 Home Morten LOKKEGAARD MEPs European Parliament www europarl europa eu Retrieved March 4 2021 Home Linea SOGAARD LIDELL MEPs European Parliament www europarl europa eu Retrieved March 4 2021 Members Page CoR Members Page CoR Further reading EditTom Matz 2004 Venstre ved du hvor du har in Danish ForlagsKompagniet Norhaven Book External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venstre Denmark in Danish Venstre official site Denmark s Liberal Party presentation in English in Danish Party Profile from the newspaper Politiken Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Venstre Denmark amp oldid 1136387950, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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