Torsten Schack Pedersen (born 26 June 1976) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

for the Venstre political party. He was elected into parliament at the

2005 Danish general election General elections were held in Denmark on 8 February 2005.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p525 Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre remained the largest party in the Folketing and his go ...

Political career

Youth politics

Pedersen served as Chairman of Venstre's youth wing,

Venstres Ungdom Venstres Ungdom''The organisation's name is officially not translated into any other language. Similar rules apply for the name of the mother party Venstre. In Denmark, Venstres Ungdom is usually referred to simply as "VU".'' (literally: ''Youth o ...

, between 2001 and 2003.

Parliament

He was elected into parliament at the 2005 election, and was reelected in

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, 2015 Danish general election, 2015 and 2019 Danish general election, 2019. In March 2023, he became the Commissioner of the Home Guard (Denmark), Home Guard. He stepped down from the position in January 2024 to focus on his new leadership role in Parliament.

Minister of National Safety and Emergency Management

Pedersen was appointed minister of societal resilience and contingency in a cabinet reshuffle on 29 August 2024. In January 2025, he struck a deal with the government parties and seven opposition parties to strengthen civil protection with additional resources, improve emergency coordination, and develop a new national cybersecurity strategy.

Personal life

Pedersen is married to fellow Venstre politician Louise Elholm. The couple has two children.

References

External links

Biography on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)
1976 births Living people People from Vesthimmerland Municipality Venstre (Denmark) politicians Members of the Folketing 2005–2007 Members of the Folketing 2007–2011 Members of the Folketing 2011–2015 Members of the Folketing 2015–2019 Members of the Folketing 2019–2022 Members of the Folketing 2022–2026 {{Denmark-politician-stub