Here we go again.
Casting a vote almost blindly in an election where we hardly know the politicians or understand what they do.
You might call it a democratic paradox, considering these unknown politicians manage a staggering 149 billion of our collective tax revenues.
And yes, we’re talking about the regional election. We’ve been doing this every four years for 20 years now, and the enormous list of candidates compared to the municipal ballot always astonishes.
On Tuesday, November 18, we can choose among a total of 1,148 candidates for 134 seats in the four future regional councils.
Maybe you know that today there are five regional councils, so why four councils moving forward? Maybe you don’t even know that there are five regional councils?
And maybe you’re not entirely familiar with what the regions actually do – if so, you’re in the same boat as many other Danes.
Don’t despair.
The regions employ 153,000 staff, maybe even you. They govern the policy area that you consider the most important if you belong to the majority of the population. Because healthcare almost always tops the charts in surveys of the areas we value the most.
Here, Politiken guides you through the regional election.
Why should we vote?
Because we always vote for the regions when there’s also a municipal election. Otherwise, the voter turnout for the regional council elections would be alarmingly low.
Since the first regional elections in 2005, they’ve taken place every four years on the third Tuesday in November. This year too.
What do the regions do?
Healthcare is almost consistently ranked more important than climate, immigration and integration, schools and education, defense and economy, and all other policy areas.
That’s precisely why it’s good that you’re voting on Tuesday in the regional election. The regions are responsible for public healthcare. That’s why your region is listed on your health card; what we once called the yellow health insurance card.
Regions manage our hospitals and psychiatric care, and ensure that Danes by law have »easy and equal access« to medical help, just as they ensure that everyone has a general practitioner.
Regions also make agreements with private specialists (such as ear-nose-throat doctors), psychologists, and physiotherapists, so we can receive free healthcare or financial support for the services. And they cover a portion of your medication costs.
Is it only about healthcare?
Healthcare is the absolute most important task, but they also handle various assignments within social services, environment and pollution, regional public transport, and coordinate the provision of youth education programs.
But just at the regions’ hospitals alone, there are about 115,000 full-time positions. The largest groups of employees are doctors, nurses, social and health care assistants, biomedical analysts, service staff, and administrative health personnel.
So what do the politicians actually do?
It’s the Parliament that passes new legislation on healthcare – for example, a ten-year plan for psychiatry, a healthcare reform from 2027, and Cancer Plan 5, but it’s up to the individual regions to implement what the national politicians have decided.
So it’s the regions’ responsibility when you wait for months for help at the hospital. Or the regions that should be praised when you receive rapid healthcare assistance. It’s the politicians’ responsibility when new healthcare services are introduced, tasks are shifted around, and for ensuring that cooperation with the municipality regarding the patient works.
Regional politicians are mainly operational policymakers, adapting national decisions to local solutions considering the geographical area they govern, the staff they can attract, and the budget they have available.
At the same time, you can approach regional politicians if you experience issues in the healthcare system, have feedback, or praise. They can raise cases with the region’s administration, acting as a bridge between you and the ‘healthcare system’.
Why are there so many politicians!?
Today, there are 205 regional council politicians.
But in 2027, there will be 134 politicians.
When the Parliament passed the largest healthcare reform of the Danish healthcare system in 20 years in 2024, it was decided that from 2027 there should be significantly fewer elected representatives in the future regional councils.
The two old regional councils, Region Zealand and the Capital Region, will exceptionally remain in place for an extra year to manage operations, while the newly elected council for Region of Eastern Denmark, which you’ll vote for on Tuesday, prepares the merger, taking effect January 1, 2027.
Does my vote make a difference?
Yes. The politicians themselves would say.
For example, the right-wing parties have previously been more inclined to outsource tasks and use private providers, such as private hospitals and clinics, compared to the left-wing parties, which preferred to expand and develop services and capacity in the public sector.
But the truth is, all regions and almost all parties today support the extensive use of private hospitals and private providers of health services.
Locally, different parties or candidates can also make a difference. Some have greater focus on specific geographical areas within the region. Therefore, it can matter both which party and which candidate you vote for if you have particular wishes for your region’s development.
Why the new mega-region in Zealand?
For years, the geographical area of Denmark with the highest proportion of very sick citizens has lacked general practitioners, private specialists, and hospital doctors. Yes, practically any sufficient healthcare service. And yes, we’re talking South and Southwest Zealand and Lolland-Falster.
The southernmost part of the old Region Zealand has been struggling, with healthcare services poorer than in almost the entire rest of the country, and neither municipal, regional, nor national politicians have been able to solve the problem.
Despite various promises over the past 10-15 years.
Meanwhile, the Capital Region has the country’s largest concentration of medical and healthcare services. Close to the citizens.
Therefore, the two eastern regions are now merging into Region of Eastern Denmark, which will encompass nearly half of the population, in an attempt to achieve the political goal: A general practitioner for all citizens, better doctor coverage, shorter wait times, shorter distances to medical help, and better quality in health services; even when you live far from the capital.
From now on, regional politicians in the two old regions will no longer compete against each other for the too few specialists, nurses, or midwives. Politicians in a united Region of Eastern Denmark will now try to address the many issues from the regional office in Sorø.
It’s ambitious, but also quite a task awaiting the newly elected politicians.
