The Social Democrats in Copenhagen have lost control of the Danish capital for the first time in more than a century and seen their number of mayors fall from 44 to 25 across the country in the 2025 municipal elections, turning a routine local vote into a historic setback for the governing party.
A historic defeat for Social Democrats in Copenhagen
For over 100 years, Copenhagen City Hall has been led by a Social Democrat lord mayor (overborgmester). That era ended on Wednesday morning, when negotiations at Copenhagen City Hall (Københavns Rådhus) concluded with a broad agreement to back SF’s Sisse Marie Welling as new lord mayor. As NordiskPost reports in a separate article, the deal brings together parties from the left, centre and right, leaving the Social Democrats and the small green party Frie Grønne outside the majority.
Social Democrat lead candidate Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil acknowledged defeat at the town hall, stressing that her party had not been invited into the decisive negotiations. She described the outcome as “fair and square” in a democratic system, but also “regrettable” for a party that has considered Copenhagen its political crown jewel for generations.
The symbolism of the loss is difficult to overstate. The Social Democrats are reduced to the third-largest party in the capital, behind Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) and SF, and they no longer control the city that hosts the national parliament, government and royal family. Commentators on Danish television have described the result as a “historic defeat” for the party and a sign that the centre‑left vote in Copenhagen is now fragmented between several green and progressive parties.
From 44 to 25 mayors: a shrinking local power base
The damage for the Social Democrats goes far beyond the capital. At national level, the party still emerges as the largest party in the municipal elections with around 23 percent of the vote, but this is a decline of more than five percentage points compared to 2021. The party now holds 599 council seats, down by more than 150 mandates.
Most striking is the drop in the number of mayors (borgmestre). Four years ago, the Social Democrats led 44 municipalities. After Tuesday’s vote and the first round of post‑election negotiations, they are on course to hold around 25 mayoralties, a reduction that fundamentally redraws the local power map. In several town halls, mayoral chains that had been worn by Social Democrat politicians for decades are now passing to rivals.
In Næstved and Gladsaxe, more than a century of uninterrupted Social Democrat leadership appears to be ending. In Køge, deputy party leader Marie Stærke has admitted defeat after a double‑digit fall in support. Across the country, from Frederikshavn in northern Jutland to municipalities on the Copenhagen urban fringe, the party has lost absolute majorities and in some cases its status as largest party.
The setback is visible even at the margins of the map. On the small island municipalities of Fanø and Læsø, the Social Democrats have lost their only council seats and are no longer represented at all. It is the first time since the 2007 municipal reform that the party does not sit in every one of Denmark’s 98 municipalities, weakening a local presence that has long been central to its identity as a broad people’s party.
A nationwide meltdown from big cities to market towns
Analysts describe the 2025 vote as a nationwide meltdown for the Social Democrats rather than a purely urban phenomenon. At the previous municipal elections in 2021, the party had already lost ground in several major cities on the back of criticism of national asylum and welfare policies. This time, the heaviest losses are recorded in provincial towns and medium‑sized municipalities.
In places such as Fredericia, Holstebro, Skive, Lolland, Favrskov and Aabenraa, the party has fallen by more than ten percentage points, in some cases close to twenty. In Frederikshavn, support has been nearly halved, turning a former stronghold into a municipality where Venstre now looks set to lead the council. On the traditionally red western outskirts of Copenhagen, including Brøndby and Albertslund, the party has also suffered heavy losses.
At the same time, several competitors have gained from the shift. SF has advanced in many municipalities and has taken over mayoralties in former Social Democrat bastions, while Det Konservative Folkeparti (the Conservatives) has made progress in parts of Jutland and on Zealand. The new right‑wing party Danmarksdemokraterne has entered local councils across the country and secured double‑digit support in a number of municipalities, providing an alternative outlet for discontented voters.
Commentators on Danish television speak of a party that is losing its grip on both big cities and traditional market towns (købstæder). The pattern suggests that dissatisfaction with national policies on welfare, green transition and migration has combined with local concerns about public services, hospital reforms and municipal finances, eroding the Social Democrats’ appeal to working‑class voters and public‑sector employees.
Pressure on Mette Frederiksen and the national leadership
The election result raises questions about the future course of Social Democrat leader and prime minister Mette Frederiksen. On election night she acknowledged that the setback was more severe than expected, taking personal responsibility for the result and promising a thorough analysis in the coming days. The municipal vote takes place less than a year before Denmark is due to hold its next parliamentary election, increasing the political pressure on the government.
Frederiksen personally encouraged Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, a former minister in her cabinet, to run as the party’s candidate for lord mayor in Copenhagen. Commentators therefore argue that the loss of the capital reflects not only local dynamics but also the strategic choices of the national party leadership. Critics inside and outside the party are likely to question whether the Social Democrats have moved too far towards the political centre on some issues while alienating parts of their traditional base.
Despite the historic losses, the party still retains important positions in local government. Social Democrat mayors have held on to Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, and have consolidated power in Frederiksberg, the former conservative stronghold inside the capital. In some municipalities, the party has even taken mayoralties from Venstre. These pockets of success show that the Social Democrats can still win where local candidates are seen as strong and well‑rooted.
Yet the overall picture is clear: the 2025 municipal elections have reduced the Social Democrats’ local footprint, ended their control of Copenhagen after 122 years and opened up space for other parties on both left and right. How the party interprets this message from voters will shape not only the next national campaign, but also the balance of power in Danish politics in the years to come.
