Denmark’s new government drops public holiday to boost defence budget

denmark

Denmark’s new coalition government is set to scrap a bank holiday to boost defence spending. It is one of the first measures agreed by the unusual coalition between centre-left and centre-right parties – the first since the 1970s. The centre-left Social Democrat party, the centre-right Liberal Party and the centrist Moderate party are all part of the new government. Incumbent Social Democrat PM Mette Frederiksen will carry on in the job. In October, Ms Frederiksen called a snap election following outrage after a highly critical report of her government’s handling of a country-wide mink cull at fur farms at the height of the pandemic was released over the summer. After last month’s vote, Ms Frederiksen handed in her government’s resignation to Queen Margrethe despite her party winning the most votes, as she said she wanted to form a broader coalition. An agreement with her historical rivals was found when the Liberals and the Moderates agreed to drop calls for an independent legal inquiry into the mink cull.The result was the Social Democrat-Liberal-Moderate coalition unveiled on Thursday, as the handover of power from the previous government took place.(BBC)…[+]