The Conservatives again choose not to vote yes to the allocation of citizenship. There are still concerns within the Conservative party about the allocation of Danish citizenship, and the party therefore chooses to abstain again. When 2053 people are expected to be granted Danish citizenship by a majority in the Folketing on Tuesday, the Conservatives will neither vote for nor against the bill, despite their participation in the agreement circle behind the current rules. Minister for Immigration and Integration Kaare Dybvad Bek has had enough. He sees the Conservatives as outside the agreement circle if the party once again fails to vote in favor. The minister emphasizes that it is irresponsible to be part of the agreement and at the same time not want to pass the proposals. “The problem is that we have an agreement that aims to set the rules for when one can acquire citizenship on objective terms. It is irresponsible not to want to pass these citizenships,” says Dybvad Bek.
The Conservatives have repeatedly abstained from voting since 2020, when they first failed to vote for a bill they believed included individuals with criminal convictions. A tightening of the rules in 2021 now excludes conditionally and unconditionally convicted individuals from obtaining citizenship, but the Conservatives still believe that the rules are not being followed. The party’s leader, Mona Juul, expresses concern that criminals can still acquire citizenship. “We cannot be entirely sure that there are no criminals who will receive citizenship tomorrow. That is what we point out by abstaining,” says Mona Juul. Kaare Dybvad Bek denies that there are errors in the processing of cases and emphasizes that the individuals included in this bill meet the required conditions. The minister acknowledges that there have been errors in the past but points out that action has been taken on these errors and corrections made.
The Conservatives insist on more thorough control of applicants, especially in terms of employment requirements and criminal history. Mona Juul believes that it still makes sense for the party to be part of the agreement circle.