Danish Social Liberal Party
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The Danish Social Liberal Party ( da, Radikale Venstre, , Radical Left) is a social-liberal
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905. Historically, the
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the ...
party has played a central role in Danish politics and has supported governments on both sides of the
political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...
, as co-operation is a primary belief of the party. A
pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...
party, it is a member of
Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...
and the ALDE, and has two MEPs in the
Renew Europe Renew Europe (Renew) is a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament founded for the ninth European Parliament term. The group is the successor to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group which exi ...
group in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
.


History


1905–1930s

The party was founded in 1905 as a split from the Venstre Reform Party. The initial impetus was the expulsion of Venstre's
antimilitarist Antimilitarism (also spelt anti-militarism) is a doctrine that opposes war, relying heavily on a critical theory of imperialism and was an explicit goal of the First and Second International. Whereas pacifism is the doctrine that disputes (esp ...
wing from the party in January 1905. The expelled members held a founding conference for the new party in
Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
, on 21 May 1905. In addition to the differences over military spending, the social liberals also took a more positive view than Venstre towards measures that aimed to reduce
social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...
. The party also became the political leg of the cultural radical movement. The party was cautiously open to aspects of the
welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...
, and also advocated reforms to improve the position of smallholders, an important early group of supporters. The party's social-liberal ideals are said to have been inspired by the political economists
Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...
and
John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...
. The first Social Liberal Cabinet was formed in 1909 with
Carl Theodor Zahle Carl Theodor Zahle (19 January 1866 in Roskilde – 3 February 1946 in Copenhagen), was a Danish lawyer and politician who served as Prims Minister of Denmark from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1913 to 1920. In 1895, he was elected as a member of t ...
serving as Prime Minister (1909–1910). From 1913 to 1920, Zahle led the second Social Liberal Cabinet with the Social Democrats serving as parliamentary support, keeping Denmark neutral during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
of the 1930s, the party served as coalition partners along with the Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning, and managed to lead the country through the recession by implementing far-reaching social reforms.


Post-World War II

After 1945 the party continued with its pragmatic ways, influencing either as coalition partner as parliamentary support. From 1957 to 1964 they served as coalition partners in a Social Democratic led government, while
Hilmar Baunsgaard Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920, Slagelse – 30 June 1989) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He wa ...
served as Prime Minister 1968–1971 in a coalition government with Venstre and the Conservative People's Party as partners. In the 1968 general elections the party reached an all-time high of 15% of the vote, while they only received 11.2% in the 1973 landslide election. During the 1980s the party served either as parliamentary support or as coalition partner in various Conservative led governments. After an all-time low in the 1990 general elections where the party only received 3.5% of the vote, the party once again started cooperating with the Social Democrats under leadership of
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Poul Oluf Nyrup Rasmussen (, informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943) is a retired Danish politician. Rasmussen was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) from ...
, participating in a coalition government in 1993.


2001–present

In the early 2000s the political scene was marked by "bloc"-politics, with "blue bloc" being led by Venstre and "red bloc" by the Social Democrats. The
Danish People's Party The Danish People's Party ( da, Dansk Folkeparti, DPP/DF) is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Denmark. It was formed in 1995 by former members of the Progress Party (FrP). The DPP lent its support to the Venstre– C ...
overtook the Social Liberals' key position as prime candidate for parliamentary support. Furthermore, the DPP's anti-immigrant policies made the Social Liberals profile themselves as a progressive party being pro-globalisation, pro-EU and more tolerant towards refugees and immigrants. At the same time the party profiled itself on reforming the welfare system, campaigning to abolish "efterløn" and lower taxes. As such the party served to unite a modern social profile with a more liberal economic profile. This served to appeal the more well-educated urbanised parts of the country, resulting in 9.2% of the vote at the 2005 general elections. In a 2006 press release they tried to mark themselves as once again being able to lead a government, doing away with the presumption of the party only being able to serve as government partner or parliamentary support. The strategy proved unpopular both among voters and within the party itself. On 7 May 2007 MP Naser Khader and MEP
Anders Samuelsen Anders Samuelsen (born 1 August 1967 in Horsens, Denmark) is a Danish former politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2019, member of the Folketing from 2007 to 2011 and as leader of the Liberal Alliance party from 2 ...
left the party and formed the New Alliance, known today as the Liberal Alliance, along with Conservative MEP
Gitte Seeberg Gitte Seeberg (born 25 June 1960 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician, lawyer, and current secretary general of the Danish branch of the WWF. She was a member of the Danish Folketinget parliament for the Conservative People's Party and New Al ...
. At a press conference on 15 June 2007, it was announced that MP Margrethe Vestager would take over leadership of the party after
Marianne Jelved Marianne Bruus Jelved (née ''Hirsbro'', born 5 September 1943 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Danish Social Liberal Party. She was elected into parliament in the 1994 Danish general election and had ...
, and that the party would rethink its strategy. The party returned to its historical role as possible coalition partner and at the political centre of Danish politics.Haahr, Ulla (15 June 2007)
''Vestager ny radikal dronning''
.
Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
Vestager clarified during the run-up to the 2007 general election that her party would only be supporting a government led by the Social Democrats. Still, the party only won 5.1% of the vote. At the subsequent 2011 general elections, the party support rose to 9.5% and regained 8 seats to resume a total of 17. Together with the Social Democrats and the Socialist People's Party, they formed a three-way government coalition. On 31 August 2014, Prime Minister
Helle Thorning-Schmidt Helle Thorning-Schmidt (; born 14 December 1966) is a Danish retired politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015, and Leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. She is the first woman to have held each ...
nominated Margrethe Vestager as Denmark's
EU Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...
, resulting in her resignation as party leader. The party's parliamentary group subsequently elected
Morten Østergaard Morten Østergaard (born 17 June 1976 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician who served as Denmark's Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs from 2 September 2014 to 28 June 2015. Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from September 2014 to Oct ...
as new leader. At the 2015 general elections, the party lost 9 out of 17 seats and was reduced to 4.6%. The party lost a share of its voters to the newly formed The Alternative, a
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
political party formed by former member of the party Uffe Elbæk. At the 2019 general elections, the party rose to 8.6% of the vote, doubling its number of seats to 16. Østergaard stated that he would support a government led by the Social Democrats only if changes would be made to the previous government's strict immigration policies. On 7 October 2020 Morten Østergaard stepped down as leader of the party following allegations of
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fr ...
from within the party.
Sofie Carsten Nielsen Sofie Carsten Nielsen (born 24 May 1975) is a Danish politician, who was formerly the leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from October 2020 to November 2022. In the 2000s, Nielsen began her political career with the European Parliament as ...
was elected new leader the same day. Nielsen resigned on 2 November 2022 following the loss of 9 out of 16 seats in the
2022 Danish general election General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 1 November 2022, except in the Faroe Islands, where they were held on 31 October as 1 November was a national day of mourning for victims at sea. Of the 179 members of the Folketing, 175 we ...
. The Social Liberal Party had instigated the election by threatening a
vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
against Mette Frederiksen's government in July 2022 due to the
2020 Danish mink cull The 2020 Danish mink cull, commonly known as the Mink Case () or Minkgate, was the government-mandated slaughter of all roughly 17 million mink that were being raised on farms for their fur in Denmark. The cull was in response to the detection o ...
. One day later,
Martin Lidegaard Martin Lidegaard (born 12 December 1966 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician who since 2022 has been political leader of the Social Liberal Party. He was Denmark's Foreign Minister in the government of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt fr ...
became leader of the party.


Relationship to other parties

The Danish Social Liberal Party has traditionally kept itself in the centre of the political scale. Since the early 1990s, though, it has primarily cooperated with the Social Democrats. Internationally, the party has cooperated with the Swedish Centre Party and Liberals, the Norwegian Venstre party, the Dutch
Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; abbreviated D66, ) is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the centre of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Demo ...
and the British Liberal Democrats.


Etymology

The literal translation of the party's name ''Radical Left'' refers to its origin as the historically radical wing of its parent party Venstre (''Left''). In a modern context, this literal translation is somewhat misleading, as the party is considered to be
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the ...
in the Danish
political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...
. The use of ''Left'' in the name of the party, as with the Norwegian party Venstre, is meant to refer to
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostilit ...
and not modern
left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...
. The Danish Venstre was originally to the left of the
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and
aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...
right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
party
Højre Højre (, ''Right'') was the name of two Danish political parties of Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The c ...
, whose name meant ''Right''.


Prominent members


Prime Ministers

*
Carl Theodor Zahle Carl Theodor Zahle (19 January 1866 in Roskilde – 3 February 1946 in Copenhagen), was a Danish lawyer and politician who served as Prims Minister of Denmark from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1913 to 1920. In 1895, he was elected as a member of t ...
, Prime Minister 1909–1910 and 1913–1920, (Minister of Justice 1929–1935) * Erik Scavenius, Prime Minister 1942–1945 (de facto until 29 August 1943), (Foreign Minister 1909–1910, 1913–1920 and 1940–1943 de facto/–1945 de jure ) *
Hilmar Baunsgaard Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920, Slagelse – 30 June 1989) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He wa ...
, Prime Minister 1968–1971, (Trade Minister 1961–1964)


Other Ministers

* Edvard Brandes, Finance Minister 1909–1910 and 1913–1920 *
Christopher Krabbe Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρε ...
, Defence Minister 1909–1910 *
Peter Rochegune Munch Peter Rochegune Munch (in Danish usually referred to as ''P. Munch'') (30 April 1870 – 8 July 1948) was a prominent Danish historian and politician. He was a leading member of the ''Radikale Venstre'', and represented Langeland in parliament ...
, Minister of the Interior 1909–1910, Defence Minister 1913–1920, Foreign Minister 1929–1940 * Poul Christensen, Agriculture Minister 1909–1910 *
Ove Rode Ove Rode (31 August 1867 – 11 July 1933) was a Danish politician, writer, newspaper editor and Minister of Interior Affairs for Det Radikale Venstre. Biography As a young journalist, Rode was editor of his own newspaper, ''København'', ...
, Minister of the Interior 1913–1920 * J. Hassing-Jørgensen, Minister for Public Works 1913–1920 *
Kristjan Pedersen Kristjan is a masculine given name in the Estonian language and Slovenian language. It is a variation of the name Christian. Notable people named Kristjan include: * Kristjan Čujec (born 1988), Slovenian futsal player * Kristjan Fajt (born 1 ...
, Agriculture Minister 1913–1920 *
Bertel Dahlgaard Bertel Dahlgaard (7 November 1887 – 31 March 1972), was a Danish politician, member of Folketinget The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral nati ...
, Minister of the Interior 1929–1940, Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister for Nordic Co-operation 1957–1960 *
Jørgen Jørgensen Jørgen Jørgensen (name of birth: Jürgensen, and changed to Jorgenson from 1817)Wilde, W H, ''Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' 2nd ed. (29 March 1780 – 20 January 1841) was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. Duri ...
, Education Minister 1935–1940, 1942–1942, 1957–1960, Minister of the Interior 1942–1943 *
A. M. Hansen A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of ...
, Education Minister 1945-1945 *
Kjeld Philip Kjeld Løwenstein Philip (3 April 1912 in Copenhagen – 27 October 1989) was a Danish economist and politician representing the Danish Social Liberal Party. He was Trade Minister from 1957 to 1960 as member of the Cabinet of H. C. Hansen II ...
, Trade Minister 1957–1960, Finance Minister 1960–1961, Minister for Economic Affairs 1961–1962 *
Karl Skytte Karl Skytte (31 March 1908 – 9 June 1986), was a Danish politician and party leader. He served as member of Folketinget for the Danish Social Liberal Party from 1947 to 1978 and as the party's leader from 1960 to 1968. He was a farmer by p ...
, Agriculture Minister 1957–1964 *
A. C. Normann A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of ...
, Fishery Minister 1960–1964, Fishery Minister and Minister for Greenland 1968–1971 *
Helge Larsen Helge Larsen (1915–2000) was a Danish politician. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and served as the minister of education between 1968 and 1971. Early life and education Larsen was born on 25 April 1915 in Vester Åby. He ...
, Education Minister 1968–1971 * Lauge Dahlgaard, Labour Minister 1968–1971 *
Jens Bilgrav-Nielsen Jens may refer to: * Jens (given name), a list of people with the name * Jens (surname), a list of people * Jens, Switzerland, a municipality * 1719 Jens, an asteroid See also * Jensen (disambiguation) Jensen may refer to: People *Jensen (surn ...
, Energy Minister 1988–1990 * Kristen Helveg Petersen, Education Minister 1961–1964, Minister of Culture 1968–1971 *
Niels Helveg Petersen Niels Lolk Helveg Petersen (; informally Niels Helveg; 17 January 1939 – 3 June 2017) was a Danish politician. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2000, having previously held the role of Minister for Economic Affairs between 1988 ...
, Minister for Economic Affairs 1988–1990, Foreign Minister 1993–2000 * Ole Vig Jensen, Minister of Culture 1988–1990, Education Minister, 1993–1998, Church Minister, 1996–1998 * Lone Dybkjær, Minister for the Environment 1988–1990 *
Aase Olesen Aase Olesen (; 24 September 1934 – 1 February 2013) was a Danish politician for the Danish Social Liberal Party and teacher. She worked as a teacher at Hørsholm Municipal School before joining the Danish Social Liberal Party in 1967. Olesen was ...
, Social Minister 1988–1990 * Ebbe Lundgaard, Minister of Culture 1996–1998 * Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, Minister of Culture 1998–2001 *
Marianne Jelved Marianne Bruus Jelved (née ''Hirsbro'', born 5 September 1943 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Danish Social Liberal Party. She was elected into parliament in the 1994 Danish general election and had ...
, Minister for Economic Affairs 1993–2001, Minister for Nordic Co-operation 1994–2001, Minister for Culture 2012–2015 * Margrethe Vestager, Education Minister 1998–2001, Church Minister 1998–2000, Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs 2011–2014 *
Anita Bay Bundegaard Anita Bay Bundegaard (born 31 October 1963, in Tejn) is a former politician for the Danish Social Liberal Party. Between 1998 and 2000, she served as editor for the newspaper ''Politiken'', before going on to serve as the Minister for Developmen ...
, Minister for Development Cooperation 2000–2001 *
Johannes Lebech Niels Johannes Lebech (born 12 September 1948) is a Danish politician. He is former Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs for the Danish Social Liberal PartyChristian Friis Bach Christian Friis Bach (born 29 April 1966) is a Danish author, lecturer and part-time farmer. Early life and education Friis Bach was born in Frederiksberg in Denmark. He holds a PhD in international economics (1996) and an MSc in agronomics (1 ...
, Minister for Development Cooperation 2011–2013 * Uffe Elbæk, Minister of Culture 2011–2012 *
Morten Østergaard Morten Østergaard (born 17 June 1976 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician who served as Denmark's Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs from 2 September 2014 to 28 June 2015. Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from September 2014 to Oct ...
, Minister for Research, Innovation and Higher Education 2011–2014, Minister for Taxation 2014–2014 Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs 2014-2015 *
Martin Lidegaard Martin Lidegaard (born 12 December 1966 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician who since 2022 has been political leader of the Social Liberal Party. He was Denmark's Foreign Minister in the government of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt fr ...
, Minister for Climate and Energy 2011–2014, Minister for Foreign Affairs 2014–2015 *
Manu Sareen Manu Sareen (born 16 May 1968 in India) is the former Minister for Equality and former Church and Nordic Cooperation, in the Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt and former and member of the Copenhagen City Council, elected for the Danish Social Li ...
, Minister for Equality, Church and Nordic Cooperation 2011–2014, Minister for Integration and Social Affairs 2014–2015 *
Rasmus Helveg Petersen Rasmus Helveg Petersen (born 17 June 1968 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Danish Social Liberal Party. He served as Minister for Development Cooperation from 21 November 2013 to 3 February 2014, an ...
, Minister for Development Cooperation 2013–2014, Minister for Climate and Energy 2014–2015 *
Sofie Carsten Nielsen Sofie Carsten Nielsen (born 24 May 1975) is a Danish politician, who was formerly the leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from October 2020 to November 2022. In the 2000s, Nielsen began her political career with the European Parliament as ...
, Minister for Research, Innovation and Higher Education 2014–2015


Political leaders

* 1905–1928:
Carl Theodor Zahle Carl Theodor Zahle (19 January 1866 in Roskilde – 3 February 1946 in Copenhagen), was a Danish lawyer and politician who served as Prims Minister of Denmark from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1913 to 1920. In 1895, he was elected as a member of t ...
* 1928–1940:
Peter Rochegune Munch Peter Rochegune Munch (in Danish usually referred to as ''P. Munch'') (30 April 1870 – 8 July 1948) was a prominent Danish historian and politician. He was a leading member of the ''Radikale Venstre'', and represented Langeland in parliament ...
* 1940–1960:
Jørgen Jørgensen Jørgen Jørgensen (name of birth: Jürgensen, and changed to Jorgenson from 1817)Wilde, W H, ''Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' 2nd ed. (29 March 1780 – 20 January 1841) was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. Duri ...
* 1960–1968:
Karl Skytte Karl Skytte (31 March 1908 – 9 June 1986), was a Danish politician and party leader. He served as member of Folketinget for the Danish Social Liberal Party from 1947 to 1978 and as the party's leader from 1960 to 1968. He was a farmer by p ...
* 1968–1975:
Hilmar Baunsgaard Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920, Slagelse – 30 June 1989) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He wa ...
* 1975–1978:
Svend Haugaard Svend Haugaard (1913–2003), was a Danish politician and party leader. Member of Folketinget for the Social Liberal Party 1964–1979. Agronomist. Headmaster of an agricultural high school. Was part of a leftist oppositional party faction dur ...
* 1978–1990:
Niels Helveg Petersen Niels Lolk Helveg Petersen (; informally Niels Helveg; 17 January 1939 – 3 June 2017) was a Danish politician. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2000, having previously held the role of Minister for Economic Affairs between 1988 ...
* 1990–2007:
Marianne Jelved Marianne Bruus Jelved (née ''Hirsbro'', born 5 September 1943 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Danish Social Liberal Party. She was elected into parliament in the 1994 Danish general election and had ...
* 2007–2014: Margrethe Vestager * 2014–2020:
Morten Østergaard Morten Østergaard (born 17 June 1976 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician who served as Denmark's Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs from 2 September 2014 to 28 June 2015. Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from September 2014 to Oct ...
* 2020–2022:
Sofie Carsten Nielsen Sofie Carsten Nielsen (born 24 May 1975) is a Danish politician, who was formerly the leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from October 2020 to November 2022. In the 2000s, Nielsen began her political career with the European Parliament as ...
* 2022-present:
Martin Lidegaard Martin Lidegaard (born 12 December 1966 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician who since 2022 has been political leader of the Social Liberal Party. He was Denmark's Foreign Minister in the government of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt fr ...


Election results

ImageSize = width:1300 height:240 PlotArea = width:1100 height:160 left:60 bottom:50 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:25 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0 Colors= id:SB value:rgb(0.255,0.155,0.255) PlotData= bar:% color:magenta width:15 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S bar:1906 from:start till:12.6 text:12.6 bar:1909 from:start till:15.5 text:15.5 bar:1910 from:start till:18.6 text:18.6 bar:1913 from:start till:18.7 text:18.7 bar:1915 from:start till:18.7 text:18.7 bar:1918 from:start till:20.7 text:20.7 bar:1920 from:start till:11.9 text:11.9 bar:1920-2 from:start till:11.5 text:11.5 bar:1920-3 from:start till:12.1 text:12.1 bar:1924 from:start till:13.0 text:13.0 bar:1926 from:start till:11.3 text:11.3 bar:1929 from:start till:10.7 text:10.7 bar:1932 from:start till:9.4 text:9.4 bar:1935 from:start till:9.2 text:9.2 bar:1939 from:start till:9.5 text:9.5 bar:1943 from:start till:8.7 text:8.7 bar:1945 from:start till:8.1 text:8.1 bar:1947 from:start till:6.9 text:6.9 bar:1950 from:start till:8.2 text:8.2 bar:1953 from:start till:8.6 text:8.6 bar:1953-2 from:start till:7.8 text:7.8 bar:1957 from:start till:7.8 text:7.8 bar:1960 from:start till:5.8 text:5.8 bar:1964 from:start till:5.3 text:5.3 bar:1966 from:start till:7.3 text:7.3 bar:1968 from:start till:15.0 text:15.0 bar:1971 from:start till:14.4 text:14.4 bar:1973 from:start till:11.2 text:11.2 bar:1975 from:start till:7.1 text:7.1 bar:1977 from:start till:3.6 text:3.6 bar:1979 from:start till:5.4 text:5.4 bar:1981 from:start till:5.1 text:5.1 bar:1984 from:start till:5.5 text:5.5 bar:1987 from:start till:6.2 text:6.2 bar:1988 from:start till:5.6 text:5.6 bar:1990 from:start till:3.5 text:3.5 bar:1994 from:start till:4.6 text:4.6 bar:1998 from:start till:3.9 text:3.9 bar:2001 from:start till:5.2 text:5.2 bar:2005 from:start till:9.2 text:9.2 bar:2007 from:start till:5.1 text:5.1 bar:2011 from:start till:9.5 text:9.5 bar:2015 from:start till:4.6 text:4.6 bar:2019 from:start till:8.6 text:8.6 bar:2022 from:start till:3.8 text:3.8


Parliament


Local elections


European Parliament


See also

*
Liberalism and radicalism in Denmark This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Denmark. It is limited to liberalism, liberal and radicalism (historical), radical egalitarianism, egalitarian political party, parties with substantial support, mainly proved by hav ...
*
Contributions to liberal theory Contribution or Contribute may refer to: * ''Contribution'' (album), by Mica Paris (1990) ** "Contribution" (song), title song from the album *Contribution (law), an agreement between defendants in a suit to apportion liability *Contributions, a ...
*
Liberal democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...
*
Liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostilit ...
* Liberalism worldwide * List of liberal parties *
Radikal Ungdom The Danish Social Liberal Youth (Danish: Radikal Ungdom, literally ''Radical Youth'', abbreviated RU), is a political youth organization in Denmark, built around the ideals of social liberalism. ''Radical'' indicates a connection to 19th and 20t ...


References


External links


Det Radikale Venstre
official site
Radikale.net
official open community site
English summary

Web site of the party's youth organisation
(mainly in Danish) {{Authority control 1905 establishments in Denmark Political parties established in 1905 Liberal International Liberal parties in Denmark Radical parties Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties Social liberal parties Centrist parties in Denmark Pro-European political parties in Denmark