As the election campaign for the EU Parliament progresses, the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti) faces a challenging time as they strive to secure a seat. On a sunny Saturday, party leader Morten Messerschmidt began putting up election posters along Falkoner Alle in Frederiksberg, a visible sign that the campaign is in full swing. The Danish People’s Party, which has previously enjoyed great popularity as a Eurosceptic party, is projected to receive zero seats in the upcoming EU election on June 9, according to a recent poll by Megafon. However, other polls suggest that the party could be on track to secure one seat. Messerschmidt, who previously received 465,000 personal votes in the EU election in 2014, remains optimistic about the situation. “We hope for the best possible result,” says Messerschmidt as he continues to put up posters. “It’s no secret that the Danish People’s Party has been through a turbulent period,” he adds, referring to the party’s decline in the 2022 parliamentary election, where they only received 2.6 percent of the votes.
Messerschmidt has not set specific goals for the number of seats or percentages in the upcoming election. However, he points out that a result on the positive side of five percent would be satisfying and a significant improvement compared to the parliamentary election result. “If we can deliver on the positive side of five percent, I think it is impressive and actually a doubling compared to the parliamentary election,” he says, expressing satisfaction with the party’s efforts under the current circumstances. The Danish People’s Party’s struggle to regain former strength and secure a seat in the EU election will be crucial for the party’s future. As election day approaches, it will be interesting to see if they can mobilize voter support and overcome the challenges of recent years.