Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish
politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark
from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right
liberal
party, Venstre
.
Rasmussen has been a member of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) since 21 September 1994. He also served as County Mayor
of Frederiksborg County
from 1998 to 2001. Subsequently he was the Interior and Health Minister from 27 November 2001 to 23 November 2007 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen
's first
and second
Cabinets, and then Minister of Finance
from 23 November 2007 to April 2009 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen's third
Cabinet. On 5 April 2009, he succeeded Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Prime Minister following the latter's appointment as Secretary General of NATO
.
In the September 2011 parliamentary election, the government lost its parliamentary majority, and on 16 September 2011, Rasmussen tendered the government's resignation to Queen Margrethe. He remained in office as head of a caretaker government
until his successor, Helle Thorning-Schmidt
, was appointed on 3 October 2011.
In spite of their common surname, Rasmussen is related neither to his immediate predecessor nor to the prime minister before that, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
.
to Jeppe Rasmussen and Lise Løkke Rasmussen (née Løkke). His last name is Rasmussen, while Løkke, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name. Unless his full name is used, he is correctly referred to only by the name of Rasmussen, but his middle name is used frequently by the media to distinguish him from his two predecessors who shared the same last name.
He graduated from high school
in 1983, and was the president of the youth branch of Venstre
from 1986 to 1989. He graduated with a law degree (cand. jur) from the University of Copenhagen
in 1992. From 1990 to 1995 he worked as a self-employed consultant.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is married to Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen
. Together they have three children.
of Venstre
from 1986 to 1989. One of his initiatives was to establish an alternative to Operation Dagsværk — an annual one day fundraising campaign by high school students collecting money to third world countries — since Operation Dagsværk at the time was spearheaded by members of the Danish Communist Youth. Løkke's campaign was supported by the party youth branch, and raised 600,000 DKK
which were spent on school equipment in Soviet
occupied Afghanistan. Lars Løkke Rasmussen led a Danish delegation to Afghanistan delivering the collected funds, and a photograph taken by photographer Jørn Stjerneklar shows him and two other delegation members disguised as Afghans. Another photo shows him holding an AK47, while standing together with three Mujahideen
. The photos have generated a lot of media attention in Denmark, after the Danish participation in the war in Afghanistan
and especially as Rasmussen moved up the rankings at Venstre.
in 1998, at the same time as Anders Fogh Rasmussen
assumed the position as party leader after Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
. In 1998, he was elected as county mayor of Frederiksborg County
, a position he occupied until 2001, when he joined the first Fogh Rasmussen cabinet
.
, the Conservatives
, the Social Democrats
and the Danish People's Party
giving patients in public hospitals the right to select a private hospital
, provided that the public hospital had been unable to treat the patient within two months. In 2007, this time limit was lowered to one month. Since 2002, the government has awarded extra funds earmarked at reducing the waiting list at National Health Service hospitals, a grant sometimes referred to by the media as Løkkeposen (A pun on 'lykkepose' the Danish word for a goodie bag). He also represented the government during negotiations regarding a reform of the system by which richer municipalities transfer part of their tax incomes to poorer municipalities.
, Lars Løkke Rasmussen spearheaded the municipal reform that reduced Denmark's 271 municipalities to 98, and abolished the 14 counties
and replaced them with five regions
.
concert in Horsens
in 2004.
As Finance Minister Løkke Rasmussen led the negotiations concerning funds to banks hit by the global financial crisis.
since the introduction of the income tax
in 1903. The opposition accused it of being historically skewed in favouring those with high-income jobs and giving very little to those with low-income jobs.
would replace Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
as Secretary General of NATO
. On the same day, Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared that he would resign as prime minister on 5 April 2009. As deputy of the largest party in the government, Lars Løkke Rasmussen thus took over the post as prime minister of Denmark. An opinion poll released on the day of Lars Løkke Rasmussen's takeover of the post as prime minister revealed that the Danes believe that he only beats Helle Thorning-Schmidt
as the person best suited for bringing Denmark through the financial crisis, and that Thorning-Schmidt would be better suited to combatting unemployment, reducing hospital waiting lists, securing the welfare society of the future, and representing Denmark internationally. On 7 April 2009, Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced the new set of ministers in his Cabinet
.
At the first meeting of the summit high level section, led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, a number of countries protested the Danish handling of the negotiations. ”We cannot continue to talk about procedure, procedure, procedure. We must move forward. The World awaits us”, said Lars Løkke Rasmussen responding to criticism of the Danish led negotiations coming from several countries who regarded them as undemocratic.
Many developing countries viewed this statement as arrogant. Procedure is a major element in UN negotiations. ”This is not about procedure. This is about content. We have stated that the results in Copenhagen must come in two texts. One cannot simply present a text pulled from the clouds”, replied the Chinese delegate in the auditorium.
Stanislaus Lumumba Di-Aping, chief negotiator for the Developing Nations' organisation G77
, cross examined what exactly Løkke Rasmussen meant when stating that the chairmen of the negotiating groups should be "people whom we trust". Criticism of the Office of the Prime Minister was supported by China, India and Brazil. The last had been regarded as an ally by the Danish delegation.
The international press, too, has been severe in its criticism of the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office. BBC's climate correspondent stated: "According to all my sources, the Prime Minister's Office is on the verge of a melt-down. They have no modus operandi, or the diplomatic experience needed to plan one in advance. Ed Milliband, the former UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
was quoted for stating that "Denmark is doing a reasonable job".
in the 2011 parliamentary election. He sought to renew the mandate of the centre-right
coalition that has been in power since 2001
. Although his party gained a seat, the opposition parties combined obtained more seats than the parties supporting the incumbent government, and as a consequence, he announced his intention to resign.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
party, Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
.
Rasmussen has been a member of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) since 21 September 1994. He also served as County Mayor
Counties of Denmark
Denmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties , and 270 municipalities . On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions and the number of municipalities slashed to 98....
of Frederiksborg County
Frederiksborg County
Frederiksborg Amt is a former county in the north of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Effective January 1, 2007, the county was abolished and merged into Region Hovedstaden ....
from 1998 to 2001. Subsequently he was the Interior and Health Minister from 27 November 2001 to 23 November 2007 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
's first
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I
After the 2001 Danish parliamentary election, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was able form a government coalition of his own Liberal Party Venstreand the Conservative People's Party. It was a minority government with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party. The resulting cabinet is called the...
and second
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen retained his parliamentary support in the 2005 Danish parliamentary election, and was able to continue as head of his government. On 18 February 2005, he presented his updated cabinet, the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II...
Cabinets, and then Minister of Finance
Finance Minister of Denmark
The Finance Minister of Denmark is the head of the Ministry of Finance of Denmark, and a member of the Cabinet. As head of the ministry, the minister has responsibility for the ministry's tasks of administrering the state finances via the fiscal policy, and making economic predictions and...
from 23 November 2007 to April 2009 as part of Anders Fogh Rasmussen's third
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen III
The third Cabinet of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was announced on November 23, 2007.-Changes from the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II:...
Cabinet. On 5 April 2009, he succeeded Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Prime Minister following the latter's appointment as Secretary General of NATO
Secretary General of NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the chairman of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. The Secretary-General also serves as the leader of the organisation's staff and as its chief spokesman...
.
In the September 2011 parliamentary election, the government lost its parliamentary majority, and on 16 September 2011, Rasmussen tendered the government's resignation to Queen Margrethe. He remained in office as head of a caretaker government
Caretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...
until his successor, Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a Danish politician and the current Prime Minister of Denmark. She has been leader of the Danish Social Democrats since April 2005 and prime minister since October 2011....
, was appointed on 3 October 2011.
In spite of their common surname, Rasmussen is related neither to his immediate predecessor nor to the prime minister before that, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen , informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943), was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and is currently President of the Party of European Socialists . He was the leader of the governing Social Democrats from 1992 to 2002...
.
Early life
Lars Løkke Rasmussen was born in VejleVejle
Vejle is a town in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle and Grejs Rivers and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality and the Region of Southern Denmark...
to Jeppe Rasmussen and Lise Løkke Rasmussen (née Løkke). His last name is Rasmussen, while Løkke, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name. Unless his full name is used, he is correctly referred to only by the name of Rasmussen, but his middle name is used frequently by the media to distinguish him from his two predecessors who shared the same last name.
He graduated from high school
Gymnasium (Denmark)
The Danish Gymnasium offers a 3-year general academically-oriented upper secondary programme which builds on the 9th-10th form of the Folkeskole and leads to the upper secondary school exit examination...
in 1983, and was the president of the youth branch of Venstre
Venstres Ungdom
Venstres Ungdom is the youth wing of the Danish Liberal Party Venstre. The ideology of Venstre is centre-right...
from 1986 to 1989. He graduated with a law degree (cand. jur) from the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
in 1992. From 1990 to 1995 he worked as a self-employed consultant.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is married to Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Sólrun Jákupsdóttir Løkke Rasmussen is the wife of the former Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen.-Early life and family:...
. Together they have three children.
Venstres Ungdom chairmanship and Afghanistan mission
Lars Løkke Rasmussen served as chairman of the youth branchVenstres Ungdom
Venstres Ungdom is the youth wing of the Danish Liberal Party Venstre. The ideology of Venstre is centre-right...
of Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
from 1986 to 1989. One of his initiatives was to establish an alternative to Operation Dagsværk — an annual one day fundraising campaign by high school students collecting money to third world countries — since Operation Dagsværk at the time was spearheaded by members of the Danish Communist Youth. Løkke's campaign was supported by the party youth branch, and raised 600,000 DKK
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
which were spent on school equipment in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupied Afghanistan. Lars Løkke Rasmussen led a Danish delegation to Afghanistan delivering the collected funds, and a photograph taken by photographer Jørn Stjerneklar shows him and two other delegation members disguised as Afghans. Another photo shows him holding an AK47, while standing together with three Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
. The photos have generated a lot of media attention in Denmark, after the Danish participation in the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and especially as Rasmussen moved up the rankings at Venstre.
County Mayor and deputy chairman of Venstre
Rasmussen was elected deputy chairman of VenstreVenstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
in 1998, at the same time as Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
assumed the position as party leader after Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark in the Conservative led Poul Schlüter Administration 1982–1993. He was leader of the Danish Liberal Party, Venstre 1984–1998 and President of the European Liberals 1995–2000...
. In 1998, he was elected as county mayor of Frederiksborg County
Frederiksborg County
Frederiksborg Amt is a former county in the north of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Effective January 1, 2007, the county was abolished and merged into Region Hovedstaden ....
, a position he occupied until 2001, when he joined the first Fogh Rasmussen cabinet
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I
After the 2001 Danish parliamentary election, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was able form a government coalition of his own Liberal Party Venstreand the Conservative People's Party. It was a minority government with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party. The resulting cabinet is called the...
.
Minister of the Interior and Health
Lars Løkke Rasmussen served as Interior and Health Minister between 2001 and 2007 until he was appointed Minister of Finance in 2007. He was responsible for negotiating a 2002 agreement between VenstreVenstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
, the Conservatives
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
, the Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
and the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
giving patients in public hospitals the right to select a private hospital
Private hospital
A private hospital is a hospital owned by a profit company or a non-profit organisation and privately funded through payment for medical services by patients themselves, by insurers, or by foreign embassies. This practice is very common in the United States and Australia...
, provided that the public hospital had been unable to treat the patient within two months. In 2007, this time limit was lowered to one month. Since 2002, the government has awarded extra funds earmarked at reducing the waiting list at National Health Service hospitals, a grant sometimes referred to by the media as Løkkeposen (A pun on 'lykkepose' the Danish word for a goodie bag). He also represented the government during negotiations regarding a reform of the system by which richer municipalities transfer part of their tax incomes to poorer municipalities.
Municipal reform of 2007
As Minister of the Interior and HealthMinister of the Interior and Health (Denmark)
The Minister of the Interior and Health of Denmark was a member of the Danish cabinet and the head of the Ministry of the Interior and Health....
, Lars Løkke Rasmussen spearheaded the municipal reform that reduced Denmark's 271 municipalities to 98, and abolished the 14 counties
Counties of Denmark
Denmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties , and 270 municipalities . On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions and the number of municipalities slashed to 98....
and replaced them with five regions
Regions of Denmark
The Regions of Denmark were created as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform. The five regions replace the former sixteen counties . At the same time, the number of municipalities was cut from 270 to 98. The reform was made effective on 1 January 2007.- List of regions :The names of the regions...
.
Accusations of financial irregularities
In the spring of 2008, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was accused by the media of having charged his official accounts with considerable expenses (ca. 800.000 Danish Kroner) he should have paid himself, e.g. restaurants, cigarettes, taxis, and hotels, both as county mayor and as minister. In May 2007, Løkke was accused of having his ministry pay for a hotel room in Copenhagen when he privately attended a Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
concert in Horsens
Horsens
Horsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 53,807 and the Horsens municipality's population is 82,835 ....
in 2004.
Minister of Finance
After then Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen won his second reelection in 2007 he created his third cabinet in which Løkke Rasmussen was appointed Minister of Finance. This was seen as a clear indicator that Løkke was next in line to follow Fogh as leader of Venstre and Prime Minister, when Fogh would leave Danish politics.As Finance Minister Løkke Rasmussen led the negotiations concerning funds to banks hit by the global financial crisis.
Tax reform of 2009
In February 2009, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was the chief negotiator in the political agreement behind a major tax reform, implementing the government's ambition of reducing income tax and increasing taxes on pollution. The reform was, according to Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the biggest reduction of the marginal tax rateMarginal tax rate
In a tax system and in economics, the tax rate describes the burden ratio at which a business or person is taxed. There are several methods used to present a tax rate: statutory, average, marginal, effective, effective average, and effective marginal...
since the introduction of the income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
in 1903. The opposition accused it of being historically skewed in favouring those with high-income jobs and giving very little to those with low-income jobs.
Prime minister of Denmark
On 4 April 2009, NATO decided that prime minister Anders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
would replace Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as the 11th Secretary General of NATO from January 5, 2004 until August 1, 2009....
as Secretary General of NATO
Secretary General of NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the chairman of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. The Secretary-General also serves as the leader of the organisation's staff and as its chief spokesman...
. On the same day, Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared that he would resign as prime minister on 5 April 2009. As deputy of the largest party in the government, Lars Løkke Rasmussen thus took over the post as prime minister of Denmark. An opinion poll released on the day of Lars Løkke Rasmussen's takeover of the post as prime minister revealed that the Danes believe that he only beats Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a Danish politician and the current Prime Minister of Denmark. She has been leader of the Danish Social Democrats since April 2005 and prime minister since October 2011....
as the person best suited for bringing Denmark through the financial crisis, and that Thorning-Schmidt would be better suited to combatting unemployment, reducing hospital waiting lists, securing the welfare society of the future, and representing Denmark internationally. On 7 April 2009, Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced the new set of ministers in his Cabinet
Cabinet of Lars Løkke Rasmussen
The cabinet of Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was announced on April 5, 2009 as Lars Løkke became prime minister after Anders Fogh Rasmussen was offered the post of Secretary General of NATO on April 4, 2009....
.
COP15 - December 2009
Lars Løkke Rasmussen has been sharply criticized from many sides for his handling of the COP15 leadership.At the first meeting of the summit high level section, led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, a number of countries protested the Danish handling of the negotiations. ”We cannot continue to talk about procedure, procedure, procedure. We must move forward. The World awaits us”, said Lars Løkke Rasmussen responding to criticism of the Danish led negotiations coming from several countries who regarded them as undemocratic.
Many developing countries viewed this statement as arrogant. Procedure is a major element in UN negotiations. ”This is not about procedure. This is about content. We have stated that the results in Copenhagen must come in two texts. One cannot simply present a text pulled from the clouds”, replied the Chinese delegate in the auditorium.
Stanislaus Lumumba Di-Aping, chief negotiator for the Developing Nations' organisation G77
Group of 77
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
, cross examined what exactly Løkke Rasmussen meant when stating that the chairmen of the negotiating groups should be "people whom we trust". Criticism of the Office of the Prime Minister was supported by China, India and Brazil. The last had been regarded as an ally by the Danish delegation.
The international press, too, has been severe in its criticism of the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office. BBC's climate correspondent stated: "According to all my sources, the Prime Minister's Office is on the verge of a melt-down. They have no modus operandi, or the diplomatic experience needed to plan one in advance. Ed Milliband, the former UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
was quoted for stating that "Denmark is doing a reasonable job".
Budget Cuts
In May 2010 Rasmussen's government announced major spending cuts and measures designed to increase revenues, notably to unemployment insurance (cut from a maximum of 4 years to 2), foreign aid (cut from 0.83% of GDP to 0.76%), cuts to child support payments, and miscellaneous tax reforms designed to increase revenues. The cuts were designed to save the government 24 billion DKK.2011 Election
Løkke Rasmussen led VenstreVenstre
Venstre is the name of two Scandinavian liberal political parties*Venstre *Venstre...
in the 2011 parliamentary election. He sought to renew the mandate of the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
coalition that has been in power since 2001
Danish parliamentary election, 2001
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 20 November 2001. For the first time since the 1924 the Social Democrats did not win the most seats. Anders Fogh Rasmussen of the centre-right Venstre became Prime Minister in coalition with the Conservative People's Party, as the head of the first...
. Although his party gained a seat, the opposition parties combined obtained more seats than the parties supporting the incumbent government, and as a consequence, he announced his intention to resign.