»Big smile! Hee-hee!«, instructs a kneeling photographer at the foot of the main staircase inside Christiansborg.
On the steps, 19 politicians have lined up like a school class getting its class photo taken. It is SF’s new parliamentary group after the election. But one is missing.
»Has anyone seen Nanna?«, someone calls out on the stairs, as SF’s leader, Pia Olsen Dyhr, pulls out her phone and tries to reach the absent party colleague. She has no luck.
»We can’t just stand here«, she concludes, and the photographer starts snapping away.
»We’ll have to do a bit of Photoshop afterward«, one jokes.
A moment later, the SF lawmakers stream up toward Christiansborg’s open-faced-sandwich cafeteria. A slim, dark-haired woman arrives, out of breath.
»Are you OK?«, asks an SF member in the line.
»Yes, yes — I’m just running around«, the dark-haired woman replies.
Her name is Nanna Bonde, and Thursday morning was her first day at Christiansborg as a newly elected member of Parliament. In all, 67 of the 179 newly elected politicians at Christiansborg are either first-timers in the national legislature or politicians returning after being away for a number of years.
The new Parliament stands out for being 48 percent female—the highest share ever. Nanna Bonde, 32, has two children at home, aged two and three. The past few months on the campaign trail have only been possible thanks to strong support from her »village,« she says:
»It’s only because I have an absolutely wonderful husband who has taken on a big share at home that this has been possible. I’ve also had help from my parents and in-laws, who have checked in and made sure there could be some semblance of calm around my children.«
It is the third time Nanna Bonde has run for Parliament. She has been involved in politics for many years and previously served as chair of SF’s youth wing. Now she is saying goodbye to a job at a company that installs solar panels and wind turbines:
»I really want this. It’s a big lifelong dream coming true«, she says.
Velkomstbyen
In the sandwich cafeteria, SF claims several tables. The party is among the election’s big winners, and its parliamentary group has grown from 15 to 20 seats. After 10 minutes, Pia Olsen Dyhr stands up, waves a collective goodbye to her eating colleagues and leaves the cafeteria. These days, she is busy trying to turn years of hopes for joining a government into reality — and to convince Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that Socialdemokratiet should form a government with SF as a participant. After the rest of the SF members finish eating, they head down to the party’s group room.
»Are you taking your things with you? I think I’ll just leave mine«, Nanna Bonde says to one of the four other newly elected politicians.
»If you need somewhere to put your things, you’re welcome to leave them in my office«, says SF’s education spokesperson, Sofie Lippert.
The newly elected members are heading to a room at Christiansborg that has been turned into a kind of reception center. SF’s defense spokesperson, Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, offers to walk them down there.
»If you have time«, Nanna Bonde says with a grateful look.
On the way, Bech-Nielsen explains that they are passing through a side building at Christiansborg called Proviantgården. It is where, among others, DF and Moderaterne have offices, she says.
»There are so many corridors here«, someone in the group exclaims.
On the ground floor, large signs show that the politicians have arrived at ’Velkomstbyen’. In one room, stalls have been set up with flowers and candy on the tables. One stall provides information about Christiansborg’s library, another about its human resources department, and a third about I.T.
»Welcome«, says a woman in Christiansborg’s dark-blue staff uniform, who is ready with tote bags for the politicians. Everyone must schedule an appointment with the I.T. department, she says.
»We’ll call you, and then we’ll set up an appointment for when you can come and get your equipment.«
The politicians also need to have their personal ID cards made, the staff member says. At Christiansborg, everyone wears an access card around their neck in a color indicating whether they are party staff, civil servants, journalists or employees at Christiansborg.
»But you are actually the only ones in here who don’t need to wear a card«, the woman notes.
4,166 votes
You don’t have to have seen many of Nanna Bonde’s campaign posters to know that her signature issues center on children. They are what she wants to fight for over the next four years:
»Both my own children and all the ones in Denmark. I hope we can get more adults in day care, a better public school, and give them a green future to grow up in«, she says.
A decisive question will be whether SF ends up in government or in opposition. Nanna Bonde will not say what kind of government she is hoping for.
»But of course I’m hoping SF will have a real say in what happens.«
The work as a member of Parliament begins in earnest on April 10. Nanna Bonde is looking forward to walking up the grand main staircase at Christiansborg. When she made the climb earlier in the day, it truly sank in that 4,166 people voted for her.
»Overwhelming«, she says:
»I’m deeply honored that so many people voted for me. I really will do what I can to take care of the mandate I’ve been given.«
