The Unity List asks Mette Frederiksen: More appropriate to point to Pia Olsen Dyhr as prime minister

Since 1994, when the Red-Green Alliance entered the Danish Parliament, the party has consistently pointed to the Social Democratic leader as prime minister.

However, this long-standing tradition is now being broken. Political spokesperson Pelle Dragsted will not point to Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen.

- As things stand, we cannot point to Mette Frederiksen, he says.

Unless Mette Frederiksen changes course and promises to form a pure red government, the Red-Green Alliance will not even point to her as the royal investigator – that is, the politician who is given the authority to lead negotiations on a new government after the election.

- We can only point to a negotiator who wants a red government and will pursue red policies, says Pelle Dragsted.

Mette Frederiksen has not yet announced whether she will run again next year on a broad government with blue parties or return to the red bloc. However, in the summer she used the Red-Green Alliance as an argument for continuing a government coalition across the center.

- I can't imagine that I will support us returning to coalition politics, she said in June (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/er-roed-blok-doed-mette-frederiksen-tror-det-mens-droemmen-lever-videre-hos-andre).

At the time, Pelle Dragsted's self-assured response was that the Red-Green Alliance would have decisive votes, and that Mette Frederiksen would therefore have to knock on his door. And he maintains this.

> Reality's mathematics is that Social Democracy cannot become the negotiator again without the Red-Green Alliance's votes

> Pelle Dragsted, political spokesperson for the Red-Green Alliance

- Reality's mathematics is that Social Democracy cannot become the negotiator again without the Red-Green Alliance's votes. So if they want it, they must of course come and knock, and then we will sit down and talk about it, says Pelle Dragsted.

In a situation where the blue parties after the election can agree on pointing to one negotiator, it could mean that there will be a blue royal investigator in the first instance, when there is a split among the red parties. The monarch appoints the one with the most votes behind them as his royal investigator – that is, a negotiator who will explore the possibility of forming a new government.

Does this not most of all show your power: That since the election you have been parliamentarily irrelevant, and that you only have one way to influence, and it goes through Social Democracy?

- It is clear that we want influence, like all parties, but first and foremost we want a government that actually carries out policies for the everyday lives of ordinary Danes, says Pelle Dragsted.

But you will not come any closer to a red government by not wanting to point to Mette Frederiksen?

- We guarantee that our votes will be used to create a red government. Others must of course take this into account. I hope of course that the social democrats at some point will realize that this government has been a huge mistake.

What is a royal investigator?

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Since 1909 there has been a tradition of royal investigators. Here, the parties take turns to the monarch, where each points to a royal investigator.

The monarch then appoints the one with the most votes behind them as his royal investigator – that is, a negotiator who will explore the possibility of forming a new government.

The negotiator decides himself which other parties he invites to negotiations. The negotiator does not necessarily have to become prime minister, but this is often the case.

Source: Folketinget.dk

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Dragsted: Pia Olsen Dyhr would be good

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When Mette Frederiksen called for elections in 2022, she made it clear that she would go after forming a center-right government. Nevertheless, the Red-Green Alliance pointed to her as the royal investigator. And this is the bitter experience, Pelle Dragsted and a unanimous executive board in the party have decided not to repeat.

- Our votes were used to lift Mette Frederiksen into Marienborg and sit at the head of the table. And that vote was used to form a government with the right-wing, after which she began to steal workers' holidays, give tax breaks to those with the most money in this society – and in other words set the green transition back, says Pelle Dragsted.

The obvious question is, of course, who the Red-Green Alliance will point to. This has not yet been decided. But for Pelle Dragsted, the obvious answer is that it is the leader of the party to the left of Social Democracy: SF's Pia Olsen Dyhr.

- I think she would be a good negotiator, he says.

Pia Olsen Dyhr (SF) and Pelle Dragsted (Ø) at a party rally in connection with the election to the European Parliament in 2024, where SF became larger than Social Democracy. The Red-Green Alliance calls Pia Olsen Dyhr an "obvious" negotiator. (Photo: © Emil Nicolai Helms, Ritzau Scanpix)

Could you also point to her as prime minister?

- There is no doubt that from the Red-Green Alliance's point of view, I would then rather have a prime minister from SF than from Social Democracy. In other words, I think Pia Olsen is a very, very competent and trustworthy politician. I can also see that when measured by who has the most support from the Danes, she is at the top of the list. So I would not be worried about pointing to her as prime minister.

Have you told Pia Olsen Dyhr that you will point to her? Was she pleased?

- I speak very well with Pia Olsen Dyhr. I do it often and regularly, and she knows that I have great confidence in her as a political leader and as a close working partner, says Pelle Dragsted with a wry smile on his lips.

Pia Olsen Dyhr clearly rejected going into a new center-right government with Venstre and Conservatives, but on the other hand, she is open to (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/sf-vil-gerne-i-regering-men-partier-er-fuldstaendig-udelukket) sitting in government with both The Radicals and Moderates. And such a government, the Red-Green Alliance will not reject the role of supporting party for.

- It will depend entirely on which political agreement we could enter into. But I can easily see a situation where we, after thorough negotiations, could reach such an agreement, says Pelle Dragsted.

At SF, political spokesperson Signe Munk says that SF shares the Red-Green Alliance's ambition of getting Social Democracy back into the red bloc. But there is a "but":

- There is more realism in Social Democracy sitting at the head of a red government, she says.

- That is why we say clearly and clearly: We point to a red government, where Social Democracy has prime ministerial responsibility.

The last party to the left of Social Democracy, Alternative, has not yet taken a position on who they will point to. But it could "of course" be someone other than Mette Frederiksen, says political spokesperson Torsten Gejl.

- It could well be Pia Olsen Dyhr. I think it's an interesting message – and I can certainly understand it, he says.

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S: We never take any parties for granted

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At Social Democracy, political spokesperson Christian Rabjerg Madsen prefers to talk about "social democratic results" in this government rather than "letter-counting" after an election. He emphasizes that Social Democracy has not yet announced which government it will go to the election to form.

- In Social Democracy, we never take any parties or mandates for granted. The Red-Green Alliance must of course decide for themselves who they will point to when the time comes. I think it's also worth saying that there is still a long time until the next parliamentary election. And Social Democracy has thought about using the time to deliver social democratic results, says Christian Rabjerg Madsen.

Does it hurt you?

- I think it's natural that the Red-Green Alliance is considering how to act in connection with government negotiations. But I also think that if you want a strong welfare state characterized by more equality and better balance between country and city, it is quite natural to point to a social democratic negotiator.

Can it here make you change course?

- No, of course Social Democracy does not change course based on what the Red-Green Alliance says. But on the other hand, we do not take any parties or mandates for granted. We want to put a social democratic project forward, which deals with more equality, more justice and a more socially balanced pension system.

After the disappointing social democratic election result at the municipal elections in November, parts of the social democratic backbench have demanded (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/s-byraadsmedlemmer-saetter-mette-frederiksen-under-pres-den-naeste-regering-skal-vaere-roed) that the party goes to the election next year on a red government. And Mette Frederiksen has herself in an interview with Weekendavisen (https://www.weekendavisen.dk/samfund/se-til-venstre?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcCEvt0qLnKW1JAj2_rhLhil6ol3YFlWZ1K1MAxOgQsVrndPK2ljo0c-HgbuM4%3D&gaa_ts=69380ca6&gaa_sig=m3U98XXf2n1kTHW7cCBg_Gc1ZPdzqe-mcBCYDSUf2sx-MkzYHzLmgFebM-ebzMeaE1lm04Nc9dlHyDe_q89ELQ%3D%3D) signaled that she wants closer cooperation with SF.

Does this mean that Social Democracy will form a red government if there is a red majority after the election? It is too early to get an answer on that.

- We very much want to cooperate with SF. And we also very much want to cooperate with the Red-Green Alliance. There are long stretches – for example when it comes to a strong welfare state – where we are in agreement with SF, and where the Red-Green Alliance also says some of the same things, says Christian Rabjerg Madsen.

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