Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil has announced her candidacy for the position of Mayor of Copenhagen for the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet). This decision concludes her five-year tenure as a minister. The Prime Minister’s Office revealed on Thursday that Rosenkrantz-Theil will exit the government as part of a ministerial reshuffle. Her ministerial position as Minister for Social Affairs and Housing (social- og boligminister) will be taken over by Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, who has previously served as the Mayor of Copenhagen.

Rosenkrantz-Theil expressed to the press her excitement for the new challenge, stating that she does not view the departure from her ministerial role as a sad occasion. “Copenhagen is incredibly interesting. It is the world’s most beautiful capital,” she remarked, emphasizing that there are many challenges in the city she intends to address.

Before she can officially become mayor, Rosenkrantz-Theil must first be selected as the lead candidate for the Social Democrats in the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for November 2025. In a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), she stated that she had been encouraged to run and expressed a strong desire to take on the role. “I would incredibly much like to be a candidate for the mayoral position in Copenhagen,” she conveyed, although she also mentioned some sense of nostalgia about leaving the ministry.

Rosenkrantz-Theil has been a member of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) for the Social Democrats since 2011 and previously served as a parliament member for the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten). In 2019, she became Minister for Children and Education, and later, in 2022, she assumed the role of Minister for Social Affairs and Housing in the Social-Liberal Government (SVM-regeringen). It remains unclear whether she will continue her work in the Folketinget while preparing to run as a candidate for mayor.