Signe Munk resigns from Denmark’s government after becoming ill with stress. The 36-year-old Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti, SF) politician is leaving her post as minister for cities, rural districts and transport, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday, 27 October, according to DR.
Munk took office on 3 June 2026, when Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen formed a new four-party government. She had previously been one of SF’s leading parliamentary figures and its political spokesperson, as documented by the Danish Parliament and NordiskPost’s coverage of the new cabinet.
Why Signe Munk is leaving the government
In a statement on Facebook, cited by DR, Munk explained her decision:
I have become ill with stress. And I have decided to step down as minister.
She said she had found it difficult to balance work and family life in recent months and now needed time and quiet to recover. Munk stressed that leaving the government does not mean leaving politics, describing her decision as a step towards finding a better balance.
Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of SF, expressed support for Munk and said she should be given the time she needs to get well, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau.
Frederiksen also expressed regret over Munk’s departure. Asked about the demands placed on ministers, she acknowledged that other ministers had taken sick leave because of stress in recent years. She said that being a minister was difficult and demanding, and would remain so, DR reported.
Karina Lorentzen Dehnhardt will take over
Karina Lorentzen Dehnhardt, another SF politician, is due to become the new minister for cities, rural districts and transport. Frederiksen is scheduled to present her to King Frederik X at 14.45 on Tuesday, followed by a brief appearance before reporters at Amalienborg Palace Square in Copenhagen, Ritzau reported.
Dehnhardt, 53, sat in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, from 2007 to 2015 and returned in 2019. She has worked on rural affairs and justice policy and chaired SF’s parliamentary group from 2021 to 2024, according to her parliamentary biography.
Munk will also be absent from the Folketing while on sick leave. Her substitute, Nils Brøgger, will take her parliamentary seat. In the government’s coordination committee, which handles and coordinates government proposals, SF minister Jacob Mark will take over her place, according to DR’s political live coverage.
