Folketing

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This article deals with the Folketing in Denmark, for the Folkting in Finland, see Swedish Assembly of Finland.

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The Folketing ['folg̊ɛd̥ɪŋ], or Folketinget, is the name of the national parliament of Denmark. It literally means the People's Ting - that is, the people's governing assembly.

1 History
2 Last election results
3 Constitutional Requirements
4 Parties
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

From 1849 to 1953 the Folketing was one of the two houses in the bicameral parliament known as the Rigsdag; the other house was known as the "Landsting". Since both houses had equal power, the terms "upper house" and "lower house" were not used. The difference between the houses was voter representation. While the Folketing represented independent farmers, traders and merchants as well as the educated classes (i.e. the liberal forces of society), the Landsting predominantly represented the old aristocracy and other conservatives.

Facing the rising tide of socialism in the 1920s, conservatives (who had formed the Conservative Party) and liberals (who had formed the Liberal Party or Venstre) began to cooperate in the Landsting.

In 1953 the people by popular vote adopted a new constitution. Among the changes was the elimination of the Landsting and the introduction of a unicameral parliament, known only as the Folketing. Christiansborg Castle has been the domicile of parliament since 1849. The palace is located in the heart of Copenhagen.

[edit] Last election results

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 8 February 2005 **Danish Parliament** election results**
Parties	Leaders	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
Venstre (Liberals) (V)	Anders Fogh Rasmussen	974,657	29.0	52	−4
Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) (A)	Mogens Lykketoft	867,933	25.9	47	−5
Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) (O)	Pia Kjærsgaard	444,205	13.2	24	2
Conservative People's Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti) (C)	Bendt Bendtsen	345,132	10.3	18	2
Danish Social Liberal Party (Det Radikale Venstre) (B)	Marianne Jelved	307,132	9.2	17	8
Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) (F)	Holger K. Nielsen	201,162	6.0	11	−1
Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) (Ø)	Collective Leadership	111,394	3.4	6	2
Christian Democrats (Kristendemokraterne) (K)	Bodil Kornbek	57,836	1.7	0	−4
Centre Democrats (Centrum-Demokraterne) (D)	Bjarne Møgelhøj	33,635	1.0	0	0
Minority Party (Minoritetspartiet) (M)	Rune Engelbreth Larsen	8,883	0.3	0	N/A
Siumut (Forward) (Greenland)				1	N/A
Inuit Ataqatigiit (Inuit Community) (Greenland)				1	N/A
Republican Party (Tjóðveldisflokkurin) (Faroe Islands)				1	N/A
People's Party (Fólkaflokkurin) (Faroe Islands)				1	N/A
Total (Turnout 84.4 %)				179

[edit] Constitutional Requirements

The Folketing may consist of no more than 179 members all elected for a four-year term or until the Prime Minister (via the Queen-in-council) calls for elections, whichever comes first. Greenland and the Faroe Islands elect 2 members each.
Members are elected in accordance with the principle of proportional majority.
Details of the election procedure are given by law: Currently 135 of Folketing members are elected by proportional representation in 17 districts, and 40 others are allotted in proportion to their total vote.
Denmark has universal suffrage for all citizens over 18 years who live in the realm and who have not been declared incapable of managing their own affairs. The constitution makes it possible to restrict suffrage for convicted criminals and people receiving social benefits, but this option has not been used for several decades and it is very unlikely that it will be used today.
All voters who have not been convicted of criminal acts, making them unworthy for a seat in the parliament, are eligible. The Folketing decides if a member is eligible or not.
MPs are almost always elected as members of a political party, but independents can be elected too. The only independent who has been elected in modern times is the comedian Jacob Haugaard.
Members enjoy immunity, meaning that no criminal charges may be brought against an MP, unless he is caught red-handed, provided that the Folketing doesn't lift the immunity. The purpose of this is to prevent political persecution. In practice, the Folketing has always lifted the immunity when a member has been accused of a crime.
Debates can be conducted behind closed doors. However, this is used very seldom (less then once in a decade).
Ministers may hold a seat in parliament, but they don't need to. Supreme Court judges - according to convention - may not hold a seat whilst also acting as judges.
Ministers may - even if they are not MPs - demand talking time whenever they want.
Bills may be brought before parliament by members (private bills) and ministers (via the Queen-in-council). Bills are predominantly brought before parliament by ministers, since they have the Law Office of the Ministry of Justice at their disposal. Instead of putting forward a private bill, the opposition usually put forward a proposal for a parliamentary decision, asking the relevant minister to propose a bill concerning the subjects laid down in the decision.

[edit] Parties

The following parties are currently in parliament.

The Liberal Party (Venstre) won the last election, and is therefore currently in government. The Liberal Party was founded in 1870, and is thereby the oldest party in parliament. The Liberal Party was formed by democrats, but has now moved more to the right and has become a liberal party. Venstre’s main ideology is Liberalism, as they represent freedom of though, belief, speech, and choice. The Liberals think that everyone should have the opportunity to create their own life. The party also points out; however, that freedom is not boundless, but that it implies responsibility. One must not only take care of the fellow man, but also the surrounding environment. A new amendment to their ideology is that the strong have to look after the weak. Venstre also encourages a free market economy with free competition, as this implies freedom of choice.

The Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterne), which was founded shortly after the Liberal Party in 1871. As the name point out the party’s ideology is of course democratic socialism. The party started out as a significantly left wing party, but as time has gone by the party has become more liberal and has gradually moved toward the centre, where is lies today. Socialdemokraterne fight for equality for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnic background or social status. They believe that equality is vital if you want to create a free democratic state. The Social Democrats require equal opportunities concerning education, employment, hospitals, elderly homes, and social security for everyone. Like the Liberals, the Social Democratic Party also thinks that people are responsible for their countrymen, whom we should support each others in difficult situations.

The Conservative Peoples Party (Konservative Folkeparti) is also one of the largest parties in parliament today. The party was formed the represent the middleclass in 1916, and has since then gained increasingly more popularity, since Denmark has a huge middle class. Conservatism is one of the hardest ideologies to label, as it is put together by a variety of complex thoughts and ideas, and is differs from place to place. The Danish Conservatives believe in freedom with implied responsibility. The Conservatives are very similar to the Liberals in Denmark, as both parties believe that everyone should have the opportunity to create their own fortune. The party supports privatisation of the public sector, since they want to give the people more freedom choice. The party also has some social democratic and nationalistic ideologies.

The Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti) was founded in 1995 by Pia Kjærsgaard who left the Progress Party. Even though it is a fairly new party it has become very popular, and it is one of the leading parties in the Danish Parliament. Their ideology is a mix of nationalism, populism and to limited extent fascism. Dansk Folkeparti opposes ethnic emigration as they think that the Muslim emigrants are trying to take over the country. The party is also one of the two only parties that strongly oppose the European Union, because they feel the EU is becoming too powerful. The party supports freedom to the Danes, and they are against a forceful government as well as they support lowering taxes. The party wants a strong Danish welfare state, with social security for everyone to enjoy, especially the elderly.

The Social People’s Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) was formed back in 1959, by Aksel Larsen who had been thrown out of the Communist Party. The party’s ideological base is popular socialism, and the party is therefore opposed to liberalism and capitalism. The Social People’s Party encourages social, economic and political equality. The party also promotes the public sector and fair distribution of riches and aid among the weak, not only in Denmark, but in the rest of the world. Global solidarity is actually one of their leading ideologies, and they think that becomes before business interests and other economical matters.

The Danish Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) is the third oldest party that is still in parliament. It was founded in 1905 as a split from the Liberals. The party represents the intellectuals and academics with socialistic concerns. The party is located in the middle, since it has a foot both the socialistic and liberalistic camp. The party defends the minorities and requests more social security for the weak and lower classes. However the party also supports freedom to the individual. The party’s main ideology is probably equality. They want everyone to be given equal opportunities for education, so everyone has a possibility of personal development and creating their own fortune.

The Unity List (Enheds Listen), which was formed as an alliance in 1989 between the Left Socialists, the Communist Party of Denmark, and the Socialist Workers Party. The Party is located to the far left, and it supports national as well as international democratic socialism. They want a strengthened global equality and aid to the poor. They also require a better work- and educational conditions, as they also call for improved social security. The Unity List believes in human rights prior to economical matters. Enheds Listen is also one of the only parties that oppose not only the European Union, but also the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

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