Danish Social Liberal Party Radikale Venstre
AbbreviationRV
B[a]
LeaderMartin Lidegaard
ChairmanMikkel Irminger Sarbo
Founded21 May 1905 (1905-05-21)
Split fromVenstre
HeadquartersChristiansborg
1240 København K, Denmark
NewspaperRadikal Politik
Youth wingRadikal Ungdom
Membership (2022) 5,945[1]
IdeologySocial liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre to centre-left
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
European Parliament groupRenew Europe
International affiliationLiberal International
Historical:
Radical International
Nordic affiliationCentre Group
Colours
Folketing7 / 179 (4%) [2]
European Parliament1 / 15 (7%)
Regions12 / 205
Municipalities94 / 2,432
Mayors1 / 98
Election symbol

Party flag
Website
radikale.dk
  • Politics of Denmark
  • Political parties
  • Elections

The Danish Social Liberal Party (Danish: Radikale Venstre, RV, lit. 'Radical Left') is a social-liberal[8] political party in Denmark.[3] The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905.[4][5][6][7]

Historically, the centrist[9][10] to centre-left[13] party has played a central role in Danish politics and has supported governments on both sides of the political spectrum, as co-operation is a primary belief of the party.[14] A pro-European party, it is a member of Liberal International and the ALDE, and has one MEP in the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.

History

1905–1930s

The party was founded in 1905 as a split from the Venstre. The initial impetus was the expulsion of Venstre's antimilitarist wing from the party in January 1905. The expelled members held a founding conference for the new party in Odense, on 21 May 1905. In addition to the differences over military spending, the social liberals also took a more positive view than Venstre towards measures that aimed to reduce social inequality. The party also became the political leg of the cultural radical movement. The party was cautiously open to aspects of the welfare state, and also advocated reforms to improve the position of smallholders, an important early group of supporters.[15][16] The party's social-liberal ideals are said to have been inspired by the political economists Henry George and John Stuart Mill.[17] Until 1936 party was member of the International Entente of Radical and Similar Democratic Parties.

The first Social Liberal Cabinet was formed in 1909 with Carl Theodor Zahle serving as Prime Minister (1909–1910). From 1913 to 1920, Zahle led the second Social Liberal Cabinet with the Social Democrats serving as parliamentary support, keeping Denmark neutral during World War I. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the party served as coalition partners along with the Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning, and managed to lead the country through the recession by implementing far-reaching social reforms.[14]

Post-World War II

After 1945, the party continued with its pragmatic ways, influencing governments either as coalition partner or as parliamentary support. From 1957 to 1964 they served as coalition partners in a Social Democratic-led government, while Hilmar Baunsgaard served as Prime Minister 1968–1971 in a coalition government with Venstre and the Conservative People's Party as partners. In the 1968 general elections the party reached an all-time high of 15% of the vote, while they only received 11.2% in the 1973 landslide election.

During the 1980s, the party served either as parliamentary support or as coalition partner in various Conservative led governments.

After an all-time low in the 1990 general elections (where the party only received 3.5% of the vote), the party once again started cooperating with the Social Democrats under leadership of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, participating in a coalition government in 1993.[14]

2001–present

In the early 2000s, the political scene was marked by "bloc"-politics, with "blue bloc" being led by Venstre and "red bloc" by the Social Democrats. The Danish People's Party (DPP) overtook the Social Liberals' key position as prime candidate for parliamentary support. Furthermore, the DPP's anti-immigrant policies made the Social Liberals profile themselves as a progressive party being pro-globalisation, pro-EU and more tolerant towards refugees and immigrants. At the same time the party profiled itself on reforming the welfare system, campaigning to abolish "efterløn" and lower taxes. As such the party served to unite a modern social profile with a more liberal economic profile. This served to appeal the more well-educated urbanised parts of the country, resulting in 9.2% of the vote at the 2005 general elections.[14]

In a 2006 press release, the party tried to mark themselves as once again being able to lead a government, doing away with the presumption of the party only being able to serve as government partner or parliamentary support.[18] The strategy proved unpopular both among voters and within the party itself.[19] On 7 May 2007 MP Naser Khader and MEP Anders Samuelsen left the party and formed the New Alliance, known today as the Liberal Alliance, along with Conservative MEP Gitte Seeberg.[14] At a press conference on 15 June 2007, it was announced that MP Margrethe Vestager would take over leadership of the party after Marianne Jelved, and that the party would rethink its strategy. The party returned to its historical role as possible coalition partner and at the political centre of Danish politics.[20] Vestager clarified during the run-up to the 2007 general election that her party would only be supporting a government led by the Social Democrats. Still, the party only won 5.1% of the vote.

At the subsequent 2011 general elections, the party support rose to 9.5% and regained eight seats to resume a total of 17. Together with the Social Democrats and the Socialist People's Party, they formed a three-way government coalition.

On 31 August 2014, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt nominated Margrethe Vestager as Denmark's EU Commissioner, resulting in her resignation as party leader. The party's parliamentary group subsequently elected Morten Østergaard as new leader.[21]

At the 2015 general elections, the party polled only 4.6% and lost nine of its 17 seats. Some of its voters had turned to the newly formed The Alternative, a Green political party founded by Uffe Elbæk, a former Social Liberal.[22]

At the 2019 general elections, the party rose to 8.6% of the vote, doubling its number of seats to 16. Østergaard stated that he would support a government led by the Social Democrats only if changes were made to the previous government's strict immigration policies.[23]

On 7 October 2020, Morten Østergaard stepped down as leader of the Social Liberals following allegations from within the party of sexual harassment. Sofie Carsten Nielsen was elected as the new leader on the same day.[24]

Nielsen resigned on 2 November 2022, following the loss of nine of the party's 16 seats in the 2022 Danish general election. The Social Liberal Party had instigated the election by threatening a vote of no confidence against Mette Frederiksen's government in July 2022 due to the 2020 Danish mink cull.[25][26] One day later, Martin Lidegaard became leader of the party.[27]

Relationship to other parties

The Danish Social Liberal Party has traditionally kept itself in the centre of the political scale. Since the early 1990s, though, it has primarily cooperated with the Social Democrats. Internationally, the party has cooperated with the Swedish Centre Party and Liberals, the Norwegian Venstre party, the Dutch Democrats 66, and the British Liberal Democrats.

Etymology

The literal translation of the party's name Radical Left refers to its origin as the historically radical wing of its parent party Venstre (Left). In a modern context, this literal translation is somewhat misleading, as the party is considered to be centrist in the Danish political spectrum. The use of Left in the name of the party, as with the Norwegian party Venstre, is meant to refer to liberalism and not modern left-wing politics. The Danish Venstre was originally to the left of the conservative and aristocratic right-wing party Højre, whose name meant Right.[28]

Prominent members

Prime Ministers

Other ministers

Political leaders

Election results

Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/– Government
1906 38,151 12.6 (#4) 15 / 114 9 Opposition
1909 50,305 15.5 (#4) 15 / 114 6 Opposition (1909)
Minority (1909–1910)
1910 64,884 18.6 (#3) 20 / 114 5 Opposition
1913 67,903 18.7 (#3) 32 / 114 11 Minority
1915 677 5.3 (#3) 31 / 140 1 Minority
1918 189,521 20.7 (#3) 32 / 140 1 Minority
1920
(Apr) 		122,160 11.9 (#4) 17 / 140 15 Caretaker government
1920
(Jul) 		109,931 11.5 (#4) 16 / 140 1 Opposition
1920
(Sep) 		147,120 12.1 (#4) 18 / 149 2 Opposition
1924 166,476 13.0 (#4) 20 / 149 2 External support
1926 151,746 11.3 (#4) 16 / 149 4 External support
1929 151,746 10.7 (#4) 16 / 149 0 Coalition
1932 145,221 9.4 (#4) 14 / 149 2 Coalition
1935 151,507 9.2 (#4) 14 / 149 0 Coalition
1939 161,834 9.5 (#4) 14 / 149 0 Coalition
1943 175,179 8.7 (#4) 11 / 149 2 Coalition
1945 167,073 8.1 (#5) 11 / 149 2 External support
1947 144,206 6.9 (#4) 10 / 150 1 External support
1950 167,969 8.2 (#5) 12 / 151 2 Opposition
1953
(Apr) 		178,942 8.6 (#4) 13 / 151 1 External support
1953
(Sep) 		169,295 7.8 (#4) 14 / 179 1 External support
1957 179,822 7.8 (#4) 14 / 179 0 Coalition
1960 140,979 5.8 (#5) 11 / 179 3 Coalition
1964 139,702 5.3 (#5) 10 / 179 1 External support
1966 203,858 7.3 (#5) 13 / 179 3 Opposition
1968 427,304 15.0 (#4) 27 / 179 14 Coalition
1971 413,620 14.4 (#4) 27 / 179 0 External support
1973 343,718 11.2 (#4) 20 / 179 7 External support
1975 216,553 7.1 (#4) 13 / 179 7 External support
1977 113,330 3.6 (#8) 6 / 179 7 External support
1979 172,365 5.4 (#6) 10 / 179 4 External support
1981 160,053 5.1 (#7) 9 / 179 1 External support
1984 184,642 5.5 (#6) 10 / 179 1 External support
1987 209,086 6.2 (#5) 11 / 179 1 External support
1988 185,707 5.6 (#6) 10 / 179 1 Coalition
1990 114,888 3.5 (#7) 7 / 179 3 External support (1990–1993)
Coalition (1993–1994)
1994 152,701 4.6 (#6) 8 / 179 1 Coalition
1998 131,254 3.9 (#7) 7 / 179 1 Coalition
2001 179,023 5.2 (#6) 9 / 179 2 Opposition
2005 308,212 9.2 (#5) 17 / 179 8 Opposition
2007 177,161 5.1 (#6) 9 / 179 8 Opposition
2011 336,698 9.5 (#4) 17 / 179 8 Coalition
2015 160,672 4.6 (#7) 8 / 179 9 Opposition
2019 304,273 8.6 (#4) 16 / 179 8 External support
2022 133,931 3.8 (#9) 7 / 179 9 Opposition

Local elections

Municipal elections
Year Seats
No. ±
1925 1,069 / 11,289
1929 1,237 / 11,329 168
1933 1,160 / 11,424 77
1937 1,078 / 11,425 82
1943 941 / 10,569 137
1946 870 / 11,488 71
1950 824 / 11,499 46
1954 764 / 11,505 60
1958 648 / 11,529 116
1962 501 / 11,414 147
1966 340 / 10,005 161
Municipal reform
1970 323 / 4,677 17
1974 311 / 4,735 12
1978 192 / 4,759 119
1981 187 / 4,769 5
1985 108 / 4,773 79
1989 73 / 4,737 35
1993 80 / 4,703 7
1997 87 / 4,685 7
2001 88 / 4,647 1
Municipal reform
2005 86 / 2,522 2
2009 50 / 2,468 36
2013 62 / 2,444 12
2017 80 / 2,432 18
2021 95 / 2,436 15
2025 97 / 2,436 2
 
Regional elections
Year Seats
No. ±
1935 27 / 299
1943 30 / 299 3
1946 27 / 299 3
1950 27 / 299 0
1954 31 / 299 4
1958 26 / 303 5
1962 21 / 301 5
1966 22 / 303 1
Municipal reform
1970 35 / 366 13
1974 34 / 370 1
1978 23 / 370 11
1981 24 / 370 1
1985 13 / 374 11
1989 10 / 374 3
1993 16 / 374 6
1997 15 / 374 1
2001 15 / 374 0
Municipal reform
2005 11 / 205 4
2009 7 / 205 4
2013 8 / 205 1
2017 8 / 205 0
2021 12 / 205 4
2025 8 / 134 4
 
Mayors
Year Seats
No. ±
2005 1 / 98
2009 0 / 98 1
2013 1 / 98 1
2017 1 / 98 0
2021 1 / 98 0
2025 1 / 98 0

European Parliament

Year List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
1979 Unclear 56,944 3.26 (#10) 0 / 15 New –
1984 Unclear 62,560 3.14 (#9) 0 / 15 0
1989 Unclear 50,196 2.81 (#8) 0 / 16 0
1994 Lone Dybkjær 176,480 8.48 (#6) 1 / 16 1 ELDR
1999 180,089 9.14 (#4) 1 / 16 0
2004 Anders Samuelsen 120,473 6.36 (#6) 1 / 14 0 ALDE
2009 Sofie Carsten Nielsen 100,094 4.27 (#7) 0 / 13 1 –
2014 Morten Helveg Petersen 148,949 6.54 (#7) 1 / 13 1 ALDE
2019 277,929 10.07 (#4) 2 / 14 1 RE
2024 Sigrid Friis Frederiksen 173,355 7.08 (#6) 1 / 15 1

European representation

In the European Parliament, the Danish Social Liberal Party sits in the Renew Europe group with one MEP.[29]

In the European Committee of the regions, the Danish Social Liberal Party sits in the Renew Europe in the European Committee of the Regions group, with one full member for the 2025 – 2030 mandate.[30] Hanne Roed is a member of the Bureau of the Renew Europe CoR Group.

Notes

  1. Official party letter on voting ballot

See also

References

  1. Hoffmann-Hansen, Henrik; Nilsson, Simone; Jespersen, Johan Storgaard; Krasnik, Benjamin; Fabricius, Kitte; Schmidt, Mara Malene Raun; Gosmann, Mie Borggreen Winther og Sara Mathilde (3 October 2022). "Overblik: Partierne i Danmark". Kristeligt Dagblad (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 November 2022.
  2. Only 175 of the 179 seats in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, are obtainable by Danish political parties as Greenland and the Faroe Islands are assigned two seats each due to their status as territories in the Kingdom of Denmark.
  3. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Denmark". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022.
  4. Almeida, Dimitri. "Liberal Parties and European Integration" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2015.
  5. Marks, Gary; Wilson, Carole (July 2000). "The Past in the Present: A Cleavage Theory of Party Response to European Integration" (PDF). British Journal of Political Science. 30 (3): 433–459. doi:10.1017/S0007123400000181. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008.
  6. Hans Slomp (30 September 2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. pp. 415, 419. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8.
  7. Henning Jørgensen (2002). Consensus, Cooperation and Conflict: The Policy Making Process in Denmark. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-84064-091-5.
  8. [3][4][5][6][7]
  9. Åsa Bengtsson; Kasper Hansen; Ólafur Þ Harõarson; Hanne Marthe Narud; Henrik Oscarsson (15 November 2013). The Nordic Voter: Myths of Exceptionalism. ECPR Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-907301-50-6.
  10. "Danish parties agree on tougher border controls". Reuters. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  11. Emmenegger, Patrick (2009). Regulatory Social Policy: The Politics of Job Security Regulations. Haupt. p. 192. ISBN 9783258074771.
  12. Vera Möller-Holtkamp (9 May 2007), "Denmark's New Party Aims to Shake Up the Far Right", DW World
  13. [11][12]
  14. Kold, Lotte Flugt (30 April 2012). "Det Radikale Venstre". danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 December 2018.
  15. Alastair H. Thomas, ed. (2010). "Radical Liberal Party". The A to Z of Denmark. Scarecrow Press. pp. 340–341. ISBN 978-1461671848.
  16. "Det Radikale Venstre". Den Store Danske. Gyldendal. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014.
  17. Maria Eugenia Mata; Michalis Psalidopoulos (6 December 2001). Economic Thought and Policy in Less Developed Europe: The Nineteenth Century. Routledge. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-134-51496-0.
  18. Larsen, Thomas (10 April 2005). "De Radikales frihedsbrev". Berlingske (in Danish).
  19. Petersen, Sami Don (23 July 2006). ""Verden forandrer sig - det har de Radikale opdaget"". Berlingske (in Danish).
  20. Haahr, Ulla (15 June 2007). Vestager ny radikal dronning Archived 30 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  21. "Morten Østergaard er ny politisk leder af Radikale Venstre". Radikale Venstre (in Danish). 31 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
  22. Winther, Bent (8 June 2015). "Her kommer Alternativets vælgere fra". Berlingske (in Danish).
  23. Jørgensen, Anna Sol (24 May 2019). "Radikale kræver lempelser i udlændingepolitikken: Vil give statsborgerskab i 18 års-fødselsdagsgave". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 24 May 2019.
  24. "Morten Østergaard trækker sig efter sag om krænkelser". DR (in Danish). 7 October 2020. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020.
  25. Eller, Emil (5 October 2022). "Mette Frederiksen udskriver folketingsvalg: Afholdes 1. november". DR. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  26. Pabst Andersen, Mette Viktoria (2 November 2022). "Sofie Carsten Nielsen trækker sig som leder for De Radikale". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 November 2022.
  27. Høj, Olivia; Bay Nielsen, Silas (3 November 2022). "De Radikale har fået Martin Lidegaard som ny politisk leder". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 5 November 2022.
  28. Bille, Lars; Rüdiger, Mogens; Olesen, Niels Wium. "Venstre". lex.dk.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. "Home | Morten PETERSEN | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. 14 September 1966.
  30. "COR members". memberspage.cor.europa.eu.