Danish MP Mads Fuglede from the liberal center-right Venstre party has switched to the right-wing populist Danish Democrats. Fuglede says he made his decision due to his fundamental criticism of the proposed introduction of a CO2 tax on agricultural products.
The Danish coalition government is now reliant on the confidence and supply support of four 'North Atlantic' MPs (politicians from Greenland). This group normally never intervenes in votes regarding what they consider 'domestic Danish matters.'
Fuglede is not the only one switching parties. Jon Stephensen, another member of Venstre, has pledged to continue supporting the government on the difficult issue of the CO2 tax. The political dynamics in Denmark are complex, and shifts in party loyalty have direct consequences for government stability.
For the past several decades, the country had minority governments tolerated by other factions. Those governments generally did not complete their terms and were toppled due to disagreements with their supporting factions. Since late last year, Denmark has had, for the first time since 1933, a ‘normal’ majority coalition of Social Democrats and Liberals.
Denmark could become the first European country to actually introduce a CO2 tax. Just last month, a group of Danish experts, at the request of both coalition and opposition, issued a positive advisory on the matter.