For the first time ever, Venstre (The Liberal Party) and De Radikale (The Radical Liberals) have formed an electoral alliance ahead of the EU Parliamentary elections, despite significant disagreements on climate issues. The alliance also includes Moderaterne (The Moderates) and aims to reduce the risk of wasted votes by sharing surplus votes between the three parties. This means that a vote for one party may end up benefiting one of the other parties in the alliance. Venstre’s member of the European Parliament, Asger Christensen, and De Radikale’s lead candidate, Sigrid Friis, are examples of candidates in this electoral alliance who have different views on climate policy. Asger Christensen has, among other things, referred to a carbon tax as a “completely crazy” idea, while Sigrid Friis has proposed reducing EU agricultural subsidies by 200 billion Danish kroner to promote climate efforts. Despite these differences, none of the candidates see it as a discrepancy that should confuse voters.
Sigrid Friis states that voters are generally more interested in discussing policies rather than technical alliances. Asger Christensen adds that voters ultimately need to judge him based on his policies and vision for Europe. The electoral alliance has been formed based on a strategic decision to increase the chances of obtaining seats in the European Parliament. While the threshold for seats in a national election is at two percent, it requires 6.25 percent of the votes to secure a seat in the EU election on June 9th. By combining votes from multiple parties, the likelihood of winning a seat is increased.
Both candidates emphasize that the votes can go both ways within the electoral alliance. Sigrid Friis points out that it is a democratic condition in the current electoral system and adds that the alternative would be to diminish one’s own democratic chances by staying outside an electoral alliance or changing the electoral system entirely. All three parties in the electoral alliance are part of the same European group, Renew.