COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — Denmark held an early parliamentary election on March 24, 2026, following a crisis over U.S. interest in Greenland. A poll showed the center-left Social Democrats received about 21% of the vote, down from 27.5% in the 2022 election.

The poll suggested that all three parties in the governing coalition would receive fewer seats than in the previous election. Both the left-leaning bloc and the right-leaning bloc were likely to fall short of a majority in parliament, according to the poll.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the early election in February 2026, several months earlier than required. No single party was expected to win a majority of seats in the election.

If neither the left-leaning bloc nor the right-leaning bloc secured a majority, the centrist Moderate party could determine whether Frederiksen could serve a third term as prime minister. The Moderate party is led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark's foreign minister and a former prime minister.

The Liberal (Venstre) party was projected to win fewer seats in the election. The anti-immigration Danish People's Party was projected to win more seats than it did in the 2022 election.

The cost of living, pensions, and a potential wealth tax were prominent issues in the campaign. Greenland was not an issue in the campaign due to broad agreement on its status within the kingdom.

"There's been a lot of trouble in Europe and I think our government has had a lot of focus about Ukraine and I think we have lost a little bit in domestic votes for that," said Morten Klessen, a lawmaker. "We need Mette Frederiksen in Europe for solidarity," Klessen said.

Caroline Stage Olsen, a former minister, said "A large part of the Danish population wants a center-focused government." She added, "Difficult times call for cooperation and call for the parties and for politicians to gather up, man up, woman up and cooperate."

President Donald Trump dropped threats to impose tariffs on Denmark and other European countries over their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland. The U.S., Denmark, and Greenland began technical talks on an Arctic security deal.

Denmark's proportional representation system typically produces coalition governments made up of multiple parties from either the red bloc on the left or the blue bloc on the right following weeks of negotiations. The outgoing administration was the first in decades to include parties from both the left and the right.

The Folketing, Denmark's parliament, has 179 seats, including 175 seats for representatives from Denmark proper, two seats for Greenland, and two seats for the Faroe Islands. More than 4.3 million people were eligible to vote in the election.