Danish PM calls snap election amid Greenland momentum

DW News · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday announced snap parliamentary elections on March 24. It comes as her party sees a surge in popularity after she pushed back against US President Donald Trump's aggressive bid to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland. A general election must be held in the country at least every four years, but the prime minister of the NATO and European Union member country can call one at any time. The last election was held on November 1, 2022, and resulted in a three-party coalition that crosses the left-right divide. What did Denmark's Frederiksen say about the snap election? "This will be a decisive election, because it will be in the next four years that we as ​Danes and as Europeans will really have to stand on our own feet," Frederiksen said. "We need to define our relationship with the ​United States, and we must rearm to ensure peace on our continent," she added. "We ​must stick ‌together in Europe, and we must secure the future of the Danish Commonwealth," she said, referring to the Danish Kingdom that consists of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland's ice-covered minerals: No easy option To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Denmark pushes back against US plan to acquire Greenland Mette Frederiksen has earned recognition at home and on the global political stage for her efforts to push back against President Trump's efforts to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. Her efforts to do so have bolstered her popularity in recent months, opinion polls suggest, after public dissatisfaction over rising living costs and pressures on welfare services.US push to acquire Greenland, explained briefly The US has a military base on the island and stationed thousands of troops during the Cold War before Washington pulled them away from the Arctic island. The Trump administration has argued that having more control over Greenland was crucial to national security. In January, Danes expressed their annoyance with the plan, having taken to the streets in large numbers in downtown Copenhagen to protest US plans. The Trump administration appears to have eased on its threats to acquire it for now, though the US president spoke at length about his desire to control the island during Munich Security Conference earlier this month. Many said that that left a bitter taste in the mouths of many European officials present at the security gathering. In January, European nations, including Germany, also sent a smaller number of troops to the island in a show of solidarity. Denmark also boosted their presence on the Arctic island. Days ago, Trump declared he would send a "great hospital boat" to the Arctic island that would "take care of the many people who are sick." Denmark has rejected the offer. Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher