Political advisor Caroline Stage Olsen has joined the Moderates (Moderaterne) party and plans to run for a seat in the Danish Parliament (Folketinget). Initially, she had no ambitions to become a minister but was surprised when Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) contacted her with an unexpected offer for the position of Minister of Digitalization.

“He started by talking about the new ministry, which confused me a bit since I thought we had already discussed it. Then, he shifted the topic and asked if I would join the team. It took me by surprise, especially that he called to offer me this specific position,” said Caroline Stage Olsen.

Until now, Stage Olsen has served as a special advisor to the Foreign Minister, and they have maintained daily contact. Both share a history with the Liberal Party (Venstre); Caroline Stage Olsen was a member of the municipal council in Copenhagen (Borgerrepræsentationen) from 2014 to 2020, while Lars Løkke Rasmussen was the party leader during the same period. They are now both members of the Moderates, as confirmed by the Minister of Digitalization.

“I joined the Moderates before I was employed – I believe so,” explains Caroline Stage Olsen regarding her affiliation with the party founded by Lars Løkke Rasmussen. She has also announced her candidacy for the Danish Parliament for the party, though it is still too early to specify her political priorities.

“I do not want to promise anything specific today, but I can guarantee that I will work hard from today to be ready to address your technical questions,” said the new minister, who was introduced in front of Amalienborg Palace on Thursday morning.

Previously, the area of digitalization was combined with gender equality, but Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) and the government leadership decided during Thursday’s cabinet reshuffle to separate the two sectors. Moving forward, matters related to gender equality will fall under the responsibility of Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (S).