Denmark’s deputy prime minister and economic system minister is leaving politics altogether
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s deputy prime minister and economic system minister introduced Monday he was leaving politics and stepping down as head of the center-right Liberal Social gathering to spend extra time together with his household.
The Liberals, nonetheless, are staying on within the three-party governing coalition, which has been in workplace since December 2022.
For now, Protection Minister Troels Lund Poulsen would take over Ellemann-Jensen’s posts and tackle the roles of deputy prime minister and economic system minister.
A visibly moved Ellemann-Jensen mentioned Monday he was taking the results following inner get together criticism over dwindling help. He mentioned he’s resigning as a result of he didn’t wish to stand in the best way of his get together’s revival.
The get together had seen help plunge from 24.6% in September 2019, when he turned get together chief, to eight.7% in an Oct. 3 opinion ballot.
Critics additionally alleged that Ellemann-Jensen was too weak of a determine in a authorities the place Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had been taking over a lot of the limelight.
“I’m taking this determination as a result of it’s the proper factor for the Liberal Social gathering,” Ellemann-Jensen mentioned and insisted his sick depart was not a think about his determination. Earlier this 12 months, he was on a five-months sick depart following a medical check-up.
Senior get together member Stephanie Lose will assume the get together management till a celebration conference subsequent month.
On Aug. 22, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had thanked Danish lawmakers for offering Kyiv with F-16 warplanes, Ellemann-Jensen swapped posts with Lund Poulsen. Ellemann-Jensen turned economic system minister whereas Lund Poulsen turned protection minister.
Throughout Ellemann-Jensen’s sick depart, Lund Poulsen had acted as protection minister.
Frederiksen introduced a majority coalition that crosses the left-right divide on Dec. 15, 2022, following the Nov. 1 common elections. It was the primary time in 44 years that such a centrist authorities had been shaped, bringing an finish to the 2 blocs which have opposed one another for many years.
The Liberals joined Frederiksen’s center-left Social Democrats and the centrist Reasonable get together headed by Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen — a former prime minister who as soon as headed the Liberal Social gathering however left it and created the centrist Moderates.
Forward of the 2022 election, the Liberal Social gathering had splintered. Løkke Rasmussen had created a brand new get together as did former immigration minister Inger Støjberg, who then was the Liberal Social gathering deputy chief.
After the fracturing, Ellemann-Jensen had tried to rebuild the get together however the two newcomer events had eaten away help for the Liberals.
