Moderaterne hits back hard at royal negotiator Troels Lund Poulsen (Venstre, V), who has demanded a clear yes‑or‑no answer on forming a VLAK government (a government consisting of Venstre, Liberal Alliance and Konservative, ed.).
That suggests that the final showdown between Venstre and Moderaterne is now approaching ahead of the decisive meeting Friday at 4:30 p.m., when Lund Poulsen has invited party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Moderaterne, M) to talks at the Scandic Hotel in Copenhagen, where Venstre has been conducting government negotiations for two weeks.
Acting Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund (M) notes that on Tuesday evening Moderaterne posed a series of clarifying questions on key policy areas that still have not been answered — for example, whether the Great Prayer Day holiday will be reinstated, whether the Quran law will be repealed, and how a number of political priorities for a new VLAK government would be financed.
»We haven’t gotten any answers. It’s not irrelevant what kind of political foundation you base a government on. So naturally we still want answers to those questions. We think it lacks the seriousness it deserves, when you want to put yourself at the head of leading Denmark«, Christina Egelund says.
She also points out that since the idea of a VLAK government was launched, Dansk Folkeparti (DF) has put forward an extreme demand on immigration policy.
»Yesterday Dansk Folkeparti issued an ultimatum that it must be written into the government platform for a center-right government that you will carry out their proposal for a net emigration of Muslims«, Egelund says, adding:.
»We haven’t had the slightest response from Venstre on that either, and on that basis it’s simply impossible for us to say what our position is on such a government. Politically, I think it’s sad to see what looks like Venstre yielding to a right‑wing Denmark in which Dansk Folkeparti is setting the tone«.
The sharp response from Moderaterne comes after Troels Lund Poulsen on Thursday afternoon demanded, in a Facebook post, either a yes or a no from Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his party when they meet with Venstre’s leadership at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
»We need to be able to conclude tomorrow whether Moderaterne will oppose the formation of a VLAK government«, Troels Lund wrote Thursday afternoon.
Christina Egelund, what is your answer to Troels Lund? Will you oppose the formation of a VLAK government?
»It depends – it has to be about policy. And given that a four‑page platform was presented two days ago, to which we have asked a number of questions, including the absolutely central one about financing, and we still haven’t had any answers, it’s perhaps a bit too clever to stand there with your hands on your hips and say: ‘Now we also need an answer on whether we can form a government or not.’ In the end, it’s about the political substance«, Christina Egelund says.
Still, one thing can be stated: On one crucial point, a VLAK government differs sharply from the demand Løkke made of Troels Lund when, on May 8, he switched sides and provided the votes to replace Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokratiet, S) as royal negotiator.
In his letter to King Frederik, Løkke demanded that Troels Lund negotiate a government »across the middle of the Folketing«, and he has said countless times that the Moderaterne must be part of the next government.
Rules out government with S
Those demands are not met by a VLAK government, and it would therefore be a major surprise if Løkke does not tell the royal negotiator that he would bring down a VLAK government.
On Thursday afternoon, Politiken asked Lars Løkke whether he would share his answer to Troels Lund Poulsen’s question so it could run in Friday’s paper.
»I have an agreement with him tomorrow after the NATO meeting«, Løkke replied from a NATO meeting in Helsingborg.
Shortly afterward, Politiken was told that Christina Egelund was ready to comment on Troels Lund’s pressure play against Moderaterne.
»To put it mildly, we’re puzzled that this message is coming 24 hours before a meeting, and it sounds a bit like a take-it-or-leave-it scenario«, she says.
On Tuesday evening, M negotiated with V, and on that occasion Løkke reiterated his party’s ambition to join the government. At the same time, he acknowledged that the substance of the political framework for a VLAK government in several areas reflects Moderaterne’s policies— and that Venstre has shifted considerably since the election campaign on key issues such as development aid and international conventions.
On Tuesday, Løkke also said that Troels Lund still had the opportunity to form the centrist government Moderaterne has been calling for. But Venstre’s leader now rules that out:
»It is my firm view that a centrist government in which the Social Democrats take part will fail to provide the necessary offensive economic policy, continuing reforms and lowering taxes and duties«, he writes.
The Social Democrats dismiss the criticism as unfounded.
»With Mette Frederiksen at the helm, we have broken one economic record after another, and we will of course continue to make Denmark richer, greener, and more just«, the party’s political spokesman, Christian Rabjerg (S), wrote in a text message.
Christina Egelund, do you think Mette Frederiksen will once again become royal negotiator starting Monday?
»I don’t know if I can assess that«.
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