Government of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

is a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...

 with a representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...

 based on a unicameral
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...

 parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...

ary system. The affairs of Government are decided by a Cabinet of Ministers, which is led by a Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....

. The Cabinet and the Prime Minister are responsible for their actions to the Parliament of Denmark.

Members of the cabinet are given the formal title of minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

 and each hold a different portfolio of government duties. The day-to-day role of the cabinet members is to serve as head of one or more segments of the national bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...

, as head of the civil servants to which all employees in that department report.

Head of Government

Enjoying the status of primus inter pares, the Prime Minister is head of the Danish government. The Minister and members of the cabinet are appointed by the Crown on basis of the party composition in Parliament. No vote of confidence is necessary. If the Parliament expresses its lack of confidence in the Prime Minister, the entire cabinet must step down, unless a new election for Parliament is called.

As of October 3, 2011, the Prime Minister is Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a Danish politician and the current Prime Minister of Denmark. She has been leader of the Danish Social Democrats since April 2005 and prime minister since October 2011....

, leading a minority government coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...

 of the Social Democrats, Social Liberal Party and Socialist Peoples' Party. The government is supported by the Red-Green Alliance
Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)
The Red-Green Alliance is a socialist political party in Denmark.- History :The party was formed in 1989 as an electoral alliance by three left-wing parties, Left Socialists , Communist Party of Denmark and Socialist Workers Party...

.

Cabinet Government

According to section 14 of the constitution, the king sets the number of ministers and the distribution of cases between them. That means that the number of cabinet positions and the organisation of the state administration into agencies are not set by law, but subject to change without notice. A coalition of many parties usually means a large cabinet and many ministries, while a small coalition or the rare one party government means fewer, larger ministries.

As of October 3, 2011 in the wake of the parliamentary elections, the cabinet has 23 members including the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister leads the work of the Cabinet as well as being minister for constitutional affairs, overseas territories and for the affairs of the press.

The 23 cabinet members hold different portfolios of duties, including but not limited to the day-to-day role as head of one or more segments of the government departments.

Since it is not a requirement that cabinet members be elected members of parliament, it is likewise not required for them to resign a seat in parliament while holding a position in the cabinet.

Departments

On October 3, 2011, the Minister of State, Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a Danish politician and the current Prime Minister of Denmark. She has been leader of the Danish Social Democrats since April 2005 and prime minister since October 2011....

 presented the new government, firstly to the Queen
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...

 and thereafter to the public. The ministerial posts are as follows:
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See also

  • Current Cabinet
    Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt
    The cabinet of Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current cabinet of Denmark. It is a coalition government between the Social Democrats, Social Liberal Party and Socialist People's Party...

  • Former Cabinets

External links

Press release regarding the new government from Prime Minister of Denmark
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....

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