On a trip to the Mideast, US Secretary of State says that several Arab nations have expressed interest in helping plan for Gaza in the post war including: Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

In a surprise, the Social Democrats gain two unexpected seats and retain a majority in parliament. Frederikson hopes to form a broader coalition.

General elections. There is strong competition between the major parties, and the new Moderate Party, led by former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, which aims to bridge the left-right divide has been gaining support. Whichever party wins, the strict anti-immigration policies adopted are likely to remain. The Social Democrats have will maintain them, and even if the Moderates, the Social Liberal Party and the Red-Green Alliance are able to form a governing coalition, they are unlikely to be able to pass moderating legislation. Exit polls suggest that the Social Democrats will lose their majority but remain the largest single party. The Liberal Party of Jakob Ellemann-Jensen probably wins about 24 seats. Rasmussen is likely to remain the key figure in forming a government.

PM Frederiksen calls new elections for 11/1. Her approval ratings have plummeted since she decided to destroy the country’s captive mink population during the COVID pandemic, seeing them as a possible source of transmission of the disease.

Referendum on joining the EU common defense policy passes easily.

Media reports that Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service (FE) helped US National Security Agency spy on EU leaders from 2012 to 2014. After the government discovered the cooperation, perhaps in 2015, it forced the leadership of the FE to leave, in 2020.

After easing restrictions on stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19 pandemic in mid-April, Denmark has more than 10,000 cases and about 550 deaths. Last week, it allowed malls and coffee shops to reopen.

Denmark becomes one of the first countries to institute restrictions on movement due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Social Democrats, led by Mette Frederickson, lead in parliament voting with 26% and will try to function as a minority government, seeking support from other parties issue by issue. Overall, the left-leaning parties will probably have a majority. The Liberal Party gained slightly from the 2015 voting, and the populist Danish People’s Party fell sharply to about 9% of the vote. Final tallies give the Social Democrats 48 seats, Venstre 43, the DPP 16 (losing 21 seats), the Social Liberal Party 16, SF (the socialist party) 14, the Red-Green Alliance (an eco-socialist party, the farthest left in the parliament) 13, and the Conservative Party (a center-right party) 12. The need for the Social Democrats to work with other, more leftist, parties will press it to moderate its policies on immigration.

Rasmussen calls general election for 6/5/19. He was required to call elections by no later than 6/17, when his four-year term ends. The nominally left-wing Social Democrats, led by Mette Frederikson, have gained strength, having largely adopted the anti-immigrant stance of the far-right Danish People’s Party.

French Pres Macron proposes a joint military force for Europe. Europe already has the European Intervention Initiative (EI2), aimed at creating a unified military force capable of taking coordinated action abroad. Finland joins the group, which includes France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Denmark considering a series of laws regulating twenty-five neighborhoods that have high unemployment and crime. Most of them are populated by immigrants, largely Muslim. These neighborhoods are officially called ghetto neighborhoods and the inhabitants called ghetto people. They are intended to make immigrants assimilate. Children from the age of one must go to a pre-school at least twenty-five hours a week to learn “Danish values.” Others would allow for harsher punishments.

Opposition Social Democrats shift alliance from the Social Liberals to the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party. DPP says for the time being it will remain part of the ruling three-party coalition, though its goals seem more aligned with the Social Demcrats than with the Liberal Party of current Prime Minister Rasmussen. Elections are due no later than 6/19.

Eighteen countries join UK in unusual diplomatic rebuke to Russia for the murder of Sergei Skripal. US expels sixty Russian diplomats, the largest number ever. Other countries expelling diplomats are: Albania, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Turkey forbids Danish ambassador to reenter the country and again suggests it may reevaluate immigration treaty with EU.

Rasmussen suggests Turkey President Erdogan postpone scheduled 3/20 visit, following dispute in Netherlands about a similar attempt by Turkish officials to raise support for constitutional changes.

Denmark withdraws its fighter jets from the war in Syria against the Islamic State as of mid-December.

Three-party governing coalition is confirmed.

Rasmussen asks the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative Party to join his governing coalition.

A rash of car burnings continues, mainly in Copenhagen. The 185 cars burned so far this year have all been empty. Police are mystified.

As the migrant crisis continues to grow, Sweden imposes border controls on the bridge linking it with Denmark. Denmark subsequently does the same on its border with Germany. Both countries express hopes that the EU will find a comprehensive solution to the overwhelming influx of people.

Unable to assemble a majority coalition, Rasmussen forms a minority government entirely of Venstre members.

In elections on 6/18, Danish People’s Party, led by Kristian Thulesen Dahl, is a surprise second-place finisher with slightly more than 21%. Though the Social Democratic Party gains the largest percentage of votes, 26%, the opposition coalition, led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the more conservative Liberal Party (19.5%), will be able to form a government with the Danish People’s Party. The DPP’s parliamentary leader, Peter Skaarup, says that the DPP will not actually participate in the government. The DPP resistant to integration with Europe, unlike the Liberal Party (known as Venstre), and the DPP supports the welfare state, but the Liberals want to reduce government spending. Thorning-Schmidt announces that her government will end and she gives up leadership of the Social Democrats.

Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Social Democratic Party, calls for elections on 6/18. She had until September to call new elections, and the Social Democrats seem to have a lead over the center-right Liberal Party. However, the Danish People’s Party, opposed to European unification and anti-immigration, may play a large enough role to become part of the governing coalition.