Denmark Swings Right

The anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP) put the right-wing coalition over the top in Thursday's election.
Record gains for anti-immigrant party in Danish vote

Boosted by rising concerns over the cost of immigration to Denmark's generous welfare state and a perceived erosion of "Danish values", it secured 21.1 percent of the vote, its highest score ever and up from 12.3 percent in the previous election.

"This election campaign has shown that we are a party that the others just can't avoid. We are a party to be taken seriously here in this country," party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl told cheering supporters at a party event in the Danish parliament.

The Social Democrats, led by outgoing Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, was the largest single party with 26.3 percent of the vote while Venstre, previously the biggest right-wing party, won 19.5 per cent.

Overall the right-wing bloc won 90 seats compared with 85 for the rival centre-left bloc.

...Under the 45-year-old leader, the DPP toned down some of its most inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and veered to the left on economic issues.

In the election it campaigned on tighter immigration rules, higher pensions for low-income earners and more money for healthcare and the elderly.

That's a winning mix in Sweden and France as well.

These parties are winning even with stock markets hitting new highs. When social mood turns down again, they will be given the majorities needed to revamp immigration laws.