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The local election doubled as a dress rehearsal for next year’s general vote—and a lesson for the parties. For PM Mette Frederiksen (S), it’s the worst possible lead‑in, writes Elisabet Svane.

Elisabet Svane: Let’s call it what it is: one hell of a beating for Socialdemokratiet

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) had to concede Tuesday night that the local elections didn’t go well for Social Democratic candidates. Here she’s speaking to the press at the Workers’ Museum in Copenhagen. Foto: Finn Frandsen
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) had to concede Tuesday night that the local elections didn’t go well for Social Democratic candidates. Here she’s speaking to the press at the Workers’ Museum in Copenhagen. Foto: Finn Frandsen

When Socialdemokratiet suffered a poor result in the municipal elections four years ago in the four largest cities and the western suburbs of Copenhagen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) viewed it as a political casualty. It was the price for being a broad-based people’s party that left significant marks in the provinces.

Such a simple explanation does not suffice for the defeat, the drubbing, Socialdemokratiet took in Tuesday’s municipal elections. And that is fundamentally the biggest problem for the ruling party.

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