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Great victory for the Red-Green Alliance in Danish municipal elections

Sunday 1 December 2013, by SAP (Denmark)

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The results of the elections for the Danish municipal councils on 19 November 2013 proved to be a huge success for the Red-Green Alliance. These elections are held every four years and the councils are responsible for schools, infra-structure and other social services. The Alliance tripled its share of the votes from 2,3% to 6,9%. The best results were achieved in the major cities and in the capital, Copenhagen; here almost 20% of all voters preferred the Red-Green Alliance. Leading representatives of the Alliance have stated that the result represents a historical breakthrough in regards of representation at the municipal level. The alliance now has 119 elected representatives in the councils including mayors in Copenhagen and two other large cities. In comparison the Alliance gained only 13 representatives in the 2009-elections. Not since the Second World War has the political left had such a god result in the local elections.

The results were also a defeat for the Social Democracy and the Socialist People´s Party that are in government at the moment. A large number of voters and in particular in the working class have become disillusioned with the neoliberal economic policy including cuts in welfare and unemployment benefits at the same time as large tax-reductions are handed out to companies and people with the highest incomes. The Red-Green Alliances has for the past two years protested actively against the austerity policies. It has mobilized and taken part in struggles against the government and thus has gained increasing support in the unions and among working people.

Following the elections the Alliance has put forward a set of demands and a plan that could roll back some of the major cuts in welfare and unemployment benefits but in the Parliament the SD and SSP in connection with the negotiations for next year´s national budget instead chose to enter into an agreement with the two largest bourgeois parties. An agreement that marks the continuation of the neoliberal political course. There is no doubt that this will further strengthen the opposition to the government. At the moment polls show that the Red-Green Alliance stands to gain 12% of the votes if there were to be a parliamentary election today.

The tasks of the Alliance are to continue to organize resistance to government austerity policies. To increase the ties with the unions and to use the many newly elected representatives in the municipal councils, to put forward demands that restore welfare and social benefits and to take the initiatives in mobilizations that can give strength to the demands.

Member of the Socialistisk Arbejderparti – Danish Section of FI, working with in the Alliance took an active part in the campaign prior to the elections and had a leading role in several cities. 4 comrades of SAP were elected as municipal representatives for the Alliance.

For more details on the results of the elections see.