Liberal Alliance aims for two EU seats in the upcoming election. Liberal Alliance has never before secured a seat in the EU Parliament, but the party’s political leader, Alex Vanopslagh, hopes for a significant gain in the upcoming election. On election day, he expressed optimism about the party’s chances: “We dream of two seats, but we will also be satisfied with one,” Vanopslagh said to Ritzau while casting his vote at Skolen på Strandboulevarden in Copenhagen. He emphasized the importance of having a direct connection to the EU to strengthen the party’s growing role in Danish politics. Vanopslagh’s vote went to Liberal Alliance’s lead candidate, Henrik Dahl. “I have long promoted the idea of sending Henrik Dahl to Brussels, so it would be inconsistent not to support it myself,” noted the party leader.
Liberal Alliance has never had representation in the EU Parliament, but the latest polls from Epinion and Megafon indicate that the party could potentially secure 8.5 percent of the votes, equivalent to two out of Denmark’s 15 seats. “I would not call it a show of power, but it will show that we are a party that is on its way to becoming bigger and stronger,” added Vanopslagh. The party has benefited from a positive trend in recent political polls. According to Voxmeter’s latest data, Liberal Alliance would receive almost 16 percent of the votes in a general election. However, Vanopslagh acknowledges that EU elections have traditionally been a greater challenge for the party.
“We have historically had lower support in EU elections, possibly because we have not had the chance to prove our worth in Brussels yet,” he explained. “We hope to have this opportunity over the next five years so that we can become a firm, but not entrenched, part of the EU Parliament.” Henrik Dahl, who has been a member of the Folketing for many years, is the party’s lead candidate, followed by political advisor Mads Strange and Thorbjørn Jacobsen. Liberal Alliance wants to join the European People’s Party (EPP), which was the largest group in the EU Parliament before the election.
The party will work for a competitive Europe, reduce the EU’s regulation of the Danish labor market, strengthen border control, and establish reception centers in third countries. In the election, 169 candidates from 11 parties are competing for the 15 seats that Denmark has in the EU Parliament for the next five years.