The closing debate of the Danish Parliament set a remarkable record, lasting a total of 17 hours and 41 minutes. The debate, which began on Wednesday morning, did not conclude until early Thursday morning at 02:41. This marks the longest closing debate in the history of the Danish Parliament. Pia Kjærsgaard of the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti) expressed dissatisfaction with the length of the debate. As a former speaker of the Parliament, she spoke last and criticized the extensive timeframe. “This is not acceptable. We talk about stress. We talk about illness,” she began her speech and continued, “To sit until nearly 3 o’clock when we’ve been at it since 9 o’clock this morning, is not dignified for the democracy.” Kjærsgaard urged the Parliament’s leadership, the Presidium, to address the issue and ensure it does not happen again.
The current Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade of the Venstre party (V), noted that the debate went according to plan and invited anyone with complaints to address him directly. The closing debate largely focused on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of the Social Democrats (S), who first delivered an opening speech on Wednesday morning and later answered questions from the floor, even after the clock passed 1 AM on Thursday. Despite its name, the closing debate does not signify the end of the parliamentary season. Members of Parliament will continue meeting in the Parliament chamber in June before going on summer break.