Danish Election

[Liep]

The press battling for a photograph of the PM coming out of the voting booth is too funny. There was a frail old woman coming out just ahead and I've never seen anyone looking that confused. Poor thing.

[Liep]

Most media time for the Faroe Islands that I've ever seen. Fortunately it's a very picturesque place and most of the interviews from up there involves the camera panning away to a fishing boat, a coastline or a mountain.

[Valmy]

Does it make the islanders feel truly part of the Danish nation now that they might decide the composition of the government?

[Duque de Bragança]

Most media time for the Faroe Islands that I've ever seen. Fortunately it's a very picturesque place and most of the interviews from up there involves the camera panning away to a fishing boat, a coastline or a mountain.

Only in Denmark. In the rest of Europe, they get media time when their football team beats Austria or Greece (twice).

[Liep]

Does it make the islanders feel truly part of the Danish nation now that they might decide the composition of the government?

Well, the deciding party might just be the independence party..

[Valmy]

Does it make the islanders feel truly part of the Danish nation now that they might decide the composition of the government?

Well, the deciding party might just be the independence party..

[Liep]

Well, it turned out that the north atlantic votes didn't count for shit as the xenophobic rightwing party won a landslide victory.

Opinion polls vs. election results for the Danish People's Party:

[Liep]

90 right, 89 left.

So it was rather close still, but the UKIP of Denmark will be the deciding factor in a new government.

[Valmy]

I like to think the bikini campaign was what gave the right the victory.

[Liep]

I like to think the bikini campaign was what gave the right the victory.

Her party suffered the lowest result in its history.

[Valmy]

I like to think the bikini campaign was what gave the right the victory.

Her party suffered the lowest result in its history.

Hey every little bit in the great right wing coalition counts.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Hahah, another defeat for the pollsters. Clearly no lessons were learned after the British landslide last month.

[Liep]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/world/anti-immigrant-party-gains-in-denmark-elections.html

In an election that turned on economic uncertainty and fierce debates over immigration, Danish voters on Thursday ousted their center-left government in a clear swing to the right that unexpectedly elevated an anti-immigrant, anti-European Union party that had been on the margins of the country's politics.

New York Times gets it wrong. Danish People's Party effectively controlled immigration and welfare politics throughout the 00's so I wouldn't exactly say they had been on the margins.

Peter Skaarup, a senior lawmaker with the party told The Local, a Danish news outlet. "I know we often fare better in these elections than the polls suggest since people often aren't willing to admit that they vote for the Danish People's Party, but it really does look fantastic so far."

If you're not willing to admit that to pollsters anonymously then it's probably not fantastic.

"Immigration has been a very key and decisive issue in this campaign," Mr. Hansen said. Debate focused largely on the number of workers coming from places like Bulgaria and Romania, what sort of benefits they should receive, and whether Denmark should take in more of the migrants arriving at Europe's southern borders, he added.

Immigration has been key and decisive since 2001.

[Liep]

Hahah, another defeat for the pollsters. Clearly no lessons were learned after the British landslide last month.

The exit polls were wrong, too.

[Liep]

At least we got to see a minister who had clearly already drunk away his sorrow. Understandable, but also embarrassing when he tried to manage his way through an interview.