Nordic Free Marketeers show last minute surge

by Clifford F. Thies

With elections having to be called by November, the ruling center-right coalition has called a snap or early election, for September 15. Assuming no change to the current coalition of parties the center-left coalition looks to replace the center-right, leading in the polls 53 to 47 percent. But, almost anything can happen, even in the very short time to the election, from a shift of a few points in the polls, to a realignment of the coalitions following the election.

The current ruling coalition consists of four parties: the Danish Liberal and Conservative Parties, which two parties form the government, the populist Peoples' Party, which supports the government from without, and the one Christian Democrat in the Danish parliament, who also supports the government from without.

It is supposed that the Danish Liberal Alliance might enter the center-right coalition, but how that would happen given its position on immigration and that of the People's Party is not obvious.

In any case, the party that finishes first will have the first opportunity to form a ruling coalition. Presently, the Social Democrats are ahead, but just barely, with the Liberal Party surging.

The Danish Liberal Party is headed by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, one of the architects of the so-called Nordic Model of a free, market-oriented economy, and one of today's champions of classical liberalism in the world. After serving eight years as Prime Minister of Denmark, he now serves as the 12th Secretary-General of the NATO alliance. As Prime Minister, he was succeeded by Lars Løkke Rasmussen (no close relation).

And sorry ladies. Rasmussen has been happily married to Anne-Mette for over 30 years.

Dr. Thies is a prof. of economics at Shenandoah Univ. in Virginia.