The Social Democrats, which has a hard-stance on immigration, is forecast to win 25.3 percent of the vote surging ahead of populist movements in the Nordic region, a poll by Danish broadcasters DR and TV2 has predicted. Voters are set to inflict a crushing defeat for the populist far-right Danish People’s party (DPP) and is projected to win just 9.8 percent of the popular vote. Support for the DPP is forecast to collapse by more than half after it polled at 21 percent in 2015.
The “red bloc” Social Democrats led by Mette Frederiksen, is set to win 90 of the 179 seats, which will oust Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s Liberal party from power.
The Liberals are set to fall to just 75 seats after being forecast to win just 20.9 percent.
Ms Frederiksen would be able to form a minority Government with a majority of one and will become Denmark’s youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 41.
The Social Democrats have enjoyed a big revival due to a dramatic shift in policy.
Kristian Madsen, political analyst at the Politiken newspaper, told the Daily Telegraph the party had moved “a big step to the right” on immigration.
Ms Madsen said: “They’ve not only tried to neutralise the subject but they’ve more or less embraced the agenda of the right-wing populists.”
She adds the party had adopted the attitude of “‘‘yeah you know they were actually right all along, this criticism of us being too lax on immigration was correct and now we’re adjusting it’.”
The party’s tough stance on immigration has been outlined in several controversial policies which include sending asylum seekers to special reception centres outside Europe while their requests are processed.
It has also called for a cap on the number of “non-Western” immigrants.
In addition it has also voted in favour of banning women from wearing the Islamic burqa and niqab in public
Ms Frederiksen has also promised to increase welfare spending after years of austerity
In Denmark group that ends up with most seats usually gets the first opportunity to form a government.
However with a slim majority pressing forward with radical policies may prove problematic and it could also be hard to build a coalition with other parties on the left.