The right-wing, anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which sits with the UK Independence Party in the European Parliament, has overtaken both parties in the coalition government and is leading the election, according to exit polls.
The eurosceptic party appears to have taken 24.9 per cent of the vote, with the governing Social Democrats on 21 per cent and their coalition partners the Liberals 18.7 per cent. Socialists are taking 10.3 per cent, the People’s Movement Against the EU 8.1 per cent and Conservatives 7.3 per cent.
The party has confirmed it is in talks with the British Conservative party about now forming an alliance with them in the European Parliament. Daniel Hannan, a Conservative MEP on the eurosceptic wing of the party, was in Denmark at the weekend when he said the Danish People’s Party would be welcome to sit with the Tories.
The Social Democrat party is led by Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, daughter-in-law of the former leader of the British Labour Party and former European Commissioner Neil Kinnock. Expectation in Brussels is that she will be appointed to a senior post in one of the EU institutions following the elections.
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