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| Danish PM calls general election, saying voters must have say on spending | Danish PM calls general election, saying voters must have say on spending |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Denmark’s Social Democratic prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has announced that parliamentary elections will be held on 18 June. | Denmark’s Social Democratic prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has announced that parliamentary elections will be held on 18 June. |
| She said the minority government, whose term ends in September, would not resign before the election, but that it was time for voters to have their say on its policies. | |
| Related: Helle Thorning-Schmidt defies 'curse of Kinnock' to become Danish PM | Related: Helle Thorning-Schmidt defies 'curse of Kinnock' to become Danish PM |
| “It’s the right time to ask Danes whether we should keep the course or if we want experiments by [the opposition],” Thorning-Schmidt told a news conference on Wednesday. | “It’s the right time to ask Danes whether we should keep the course or if we want experiments by [the opposition],” Thorning-Schmidt told a news conference on Wednesday. |
| The opposition centre-right bloc, led by former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, has a four-percentage-point lead in recent opinion polls. However, Thorning-Schmidt is ahead of Lokke Rasmussen in other polls when it comes to credibility. | |
| A major point of disagreement between the blocs is public spending. Thorning-Schmidt, who points to 18 months of economic growth, has promised to raise welfare spending, while the opposition maintains that improvements can be achieved without expanding the public sector. | A major point of disagreement between the blocs is public spending. Thorning-Schmidt, who points to 18 months of economic growth, has promised to raise welfare spending, while the opposition maintains that improvements can be achieved without expanding the public sector. |
| Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark’s first female prime minister, has been in office since the previous election in 2011. Her minority coalition has been able to govern with the support of its former coalition member, the Social People’s party, and another small left-leaning group. | Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark’s first female prime minister, has been in office since the previous election in 2011. Her minority coalition has been able to govern with the support of its former coalition member, the Social People’s party, and another small left-leaning group. |