Agreement circle (forligskreds)
A group of parties that have struck a political deal (forlig) on a specific issue. The agreement binds them to support the deal and blocks any of them from changing the law without the others' consent.
GLOSSARY
Political terms
Look up what Folketing, mandates, constituencies and other political words mean. Short, plain language — no unnecessary jargon.
Bill (lovforslag)
A proposal for a new law or an amendment. It goes through three readings in the Folketing (first, second and third reading) with committee work in between.
Bloc politics (blokpolitik)
The division of parties in the Folketing into a red bloc (left-leaning) and a blue bloc (right-leaning). Some parties, like the Moderates, are seen as centrist and do not fit cleanly into either bloc.
Committee (udvalg)
Folketing committees examine bills within specific policy areas (e.g. the Finance Committee, the Health Committee). Members question ministers, hold hearings and produce reports.
Constituency seat (kredsmandat)
A seat won directly in an electoral district based on the most personal votes. There are 135 constituency seats. On top of those, 40 levelling seats are distributed to ensure proportionality.
Electoral threshold (spærregrænse)
A party must win at least 2 % of the vote at a general election to enter the Folketing. Parties below the threshold can only get seats if they win a constituency seat outright.
Levelling seat (tillægsmandat)
40 seats distributed after the election to correct imbalances from the constituency allocation. They make sure each party's seat total matches its vote share.
Minority government
A government that does not hold a majority in the Folketing on its own. This is the norm in Denmark — the government must negotiate with other parties to pass laws. Only rarely has a government held a majority by itself.
Multi-member constituency (storkreds)
One of Denmark's 10 large electoral districts used for distributing seats. They are: Copenhagen, Greater Copenhagen, North Zealand, Zealand, Funen, South Jutland, East Jutland, West Jutland, North Jutland and Bornholm.
Parliamentarism
The democratic principle that a government must have the confidence of the Folketing. A government cannot survive if a majority votes against it (a vote of no confidence). Introduced in Denmark in 1901.
Prime Minister (statsminister)
The head of government. Appointed after a "Queen's round" (now King's round) and leads the cabinet. Can call elections and dismiss ministers.
Queen's round / King's round (dronningerunde)
The round of consultations after a general election in which each party leader meets with the monarch and says who they want as prime minister. Forms the basis for government formation.
Resolution proposal (beslutningsforslag)
A proposal calling on the government to act on a specific issue — short of a concrete bill. Can be tabled by ministers or members of parliament.
Seats (mandater)
Seats in the Folketing. Each party is allocated seats based on the votes it wins at a general election. There are 179 seats in all; a majority requires at least 90.
The blue bloc
The group of right-leaning parties that typically support a centre-right prime minister. Usually includes Venstre, the Conservatives, Liberal Alliance, the Danish People's Party and the Denmark Democrats.
The Constitution (grundlov)
Denmark's constitution, dating from 1849 and last amended in 1953. It lays down the framework for democracy, the separation of powers and citizens' rights. It can only be changed by referendum.
The Finance Act (finanslov)
The state budget for the coming year. Passed by the Folketing, it decides how tax revenue is split between health, education, defence and so on.
The Folketing (parliament)
Denmark's parliament. It has 179 members (known as MFs): 175 elected in Denmark, 2 in the Faroe Islands and 2 in Greenland. The Folketing passes laws, holds the government to account and approves the state budget.
The red bloc
The group of left-leaning parties that typically support a Social-Democrat prime minister. Usually includes the Social Democrats, SF, the Red-Green Alliance, the Social Liberals and the Alternative.
The SVM government
The broad coalition of the Social Democrats (S), Venstre (V) and the Moderates (M), formed in December 2022 after the November 2022 election.