Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt

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Thorning-Schmidt Cabinet
50th cabinet of Denmark
Flag of Denmark.svg
incumbent
Thorning-Schmidt.jpg
Date formed 3 October 2011
People and organizations
Head of government Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Head of state Margrethe II of Denmark
Member party
Status in legislature Coalition
Opposition party Venstre
Opposition leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen
History
Election(s) parliamentary election
Incoming formation 2011
Previous Løkke Rasmussen Cabinet
National Coat of arms of Denmark.svg
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Denmark
Constitution

The cabinet of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current cabinet government of Denmark, announced on 3 October 2011.[1] It is a coalition between the Social Democrats, Danish Social Liberal Party and Socialist People's Party.

Because of the government's minority status and its dependency on the support of the opposition, Venstre, the government had to jettison many of the policies that it had given during the election campaign. Although critics have accused the government of breaking its promises, other studies argue that it has already accomplished half of its stated goals, blaming instead poor public relations strategies for its increasingly negative public image.[2]

Government formations[edit]

At the parliamentary election on 15 September 2011, the governing Liberal Party remained the single largest party with the addition of one seat while the Social Democrats lost a seat. However, a three-party coalition of opposition parties together with the supporting Red-Green Alliance won a larger share of seats than the incumbent Liberal-Conservative government and their supporting parties the Liberal Alliance and Danish People's Party.[3] Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen then tendered the cabinet's resignation to Queen Margrethe II on 16 September,[4] following which she met with the leaders of all parties. She then tasked Social Democrat Helle Thorning-Schmidt with negotiating the formation of a new government. Rasmussen's cabinet remained in office as a caretaker government until 3 October, when Thorning-Schmidt's cabinet was sworn in making her the first female Prime Minister.[5] The Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party also became part of the three-party government.[6] It was the first time the Socialist People's Party joined a government since its foundation in 1959.[3]

List of ministers and portfolios[edit]

The Social Democrats have eleven ministers including the Prime Minister. The smaller Social Liberal Party and Socialist People's Party each have six ministers.[1]

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
Prime Minister   Helle Thorning-Schmidt 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Economy and Interior   Margrethe Vestager 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Minister for Foreign Affairs   Villy Søvndal 3 October 2011 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for Finance   Bjarne Corydon 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Justice   Morten Bødskov 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Defence   Nick Hækkerup 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Culture   Uffe Elbæk 3 October 2011 6 December 2012 Social Liberal Party
  Marianne Jelved 6 December 2012 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Minister for Taxation   Thor Möger Pedersen 3 October 2011 16 October 2012 Socialist People's Party
  Holger K. Nielsen 16 October 2012 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for Research, Innovation and Higher Education   Morten Østergaard 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Minister of Economic and Business Affairs   Ole Sohn 3 October 2011 16 October 2012 Socialist People's Party
  Annette Vilhelmsen 16 October 2012 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for the City, Housing and Rural Affairs   Carsten Hansen 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Employment   Mette Frederiksen 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Children and Education   Christine Antorini 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Integration and Social Affairs   Karen Hækkerup 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Development Cooperation   Christian Friis Bach 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries   Mette Gjerskov 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Trade and Investment   Pia Olsen Dyhr 3 October 2011 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for Climate and Energy   Martin Lidegaard 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Minister for Transport   Henrik Dam Kristensen 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for Health and Prevention   Astrid Krag 3 October 2011 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for European Affairs   Nicolai Wammen 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Democrats
Minister for the Environment   Ida Auken 3 October 2011 Incumbent Socialist People's Party
Minister for Equality, Church and Nordic Cooperation   Manu Sareen 3 October 2011 Incumbent Social Liberal Party
Preceded by
Cabinet of Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Cabinet of Denmark
3 October 2011 -
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt in front of Amalienborg

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Here are Denmark’s new ministers". The Copenhagen Post. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011. 
  2. ^ Weaver, Ray (May 18, 2012). "Government on track but off message". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved September 20, 2012. "Governmental parties are taking a beating at the polls, but recent study shows they’ve accomplished half their goals [...] Many feel that the Socialdemokraterne-Radikale-Socialistisk Folkeparti (S-R-SF) government, which has been slipping further and further down in the polls, has not done an effective job letting the public know when it gets something right." 
  3. ^ Xuan, Min (16 September 2011). "Danish PM tenders resignation to Queen". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 4 October 2011. 
  4. ^ "Denmark to get 1st female PM after left wins vote". Dawn. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011. 
  5. ^ "Danish PM-elect seen unveiling govt Sunday". Reuters. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.