Danish Folketing election, 1943

Danish Folketing election, 1943

23 March 1943

All 149 seats to the Folketing 75 seats were needed for a majority   First party Second party Third party   Leader Hans Hedtoft Christmas Møller Knud Kristensen Party Social Democrats Conservative People's Venstre Last election 64 seats, 42.9% 26 seats, 17.8% 30 seats, 18.2% Seats won 66 31 28 Seat change 2 5 2 Popular vote 894,632 421,523 376,850 Percentage 44.5% 21.0% 18.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Jørgen Jørgensen Arne Sørensen Frits Clausen Party Social Liberals Danish Unity National Socialists Last election 14 seats, 9.5% 1 seat, 0.5% 3 seats, 1.8% Seats won 13 3 3 Seat change 1 2 0 Popular vote 175,179 43,367 43,309 Percentage 8.7% 2.2% 2.1%   Seventh party Eighth party   Leader P. Gregersen Valdemar Thomsen Party Justice Farmers' Last election 3 seats, 2.0% 4 seats, 3.0% Seats won 2 2 Seat change 1 2 Popular vote 31,323 24,572 Percentage 1.6% 1.2%

Prime Minister before election Erik Scavenius Nonpartisan Elected Prime Minister Erik Scavenius Nonpartisan

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Folketing elections were held in Denmark on 23 March 1943 alongside Landsting elections,^[1] except in the Faroe Islands where they were held on 3 May. They were the first elections during the German occupation, and although many people feared how the Germans might react to the election, the event took place peacefully.^[2] The voter turnout was at 89.5%, the highest of any Danish parliamentary election, and became a demonstration against the occupation. The Social Democratic Party remained the largest in the Folketing, with 66 of the 149 seats. After the elections, leading German newspapers expressed disappointment and indignation with the lack of political evolution among the Danish voters.^[2]

The Communist Party of Denmark had been banned since 1941 and could not participate in these elections.

95% of the vote went to the four biggest, traditional democratic parties. In the years since, there has been some debate about whether this can be seen as democratic support for the government's "cooperation" policy (samarbejdspolitikken) with the German occupation authorities.^[3] Some have argued that the result showed a broad unity of opinion in the population and among politicians in support of the relatively cooperative line taken by the government. Bertel Haarder, citing Knud Kristensen, has argued that the vote was sold as one of solidarity with the Danish constitution, democracy, and a rejection of totalitarian elements in society, and cannot therefore be seen as an explicit endorsement by the population of the government's line.^[3]

Results

Denmark

Faroe Islands

The Faroes seat was won by Þ Petersen, an independent who was a member of the People's Party. However, his election victory was not recognised until 16 August 1945,^[4] only two and a half months before the elections that year.

References

Elections and referendums in Denmark
Folketing elections	1849 1852 1853 (Feb) 1853 (May) 1854 1855 1858 1861 1864 1866 (Jun) 1866 (Oct) 1869 1872 1873 1876 1879 1881 (May) 1881 (Jul) 1884 1887 1890 1892 1895 1898 1901 1903 1906 1909 1910 1913 1915 1918 1920 (Apr) 1920 (Jul) 1920 (Sep) 1924 1926 1929 1932 1935 1939 1943 1945 1947 1950 1953 (Apr) 1953 (Sep) 1957 1960 1964 1966 1968 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1984 1987 1988 1990 1994 1998 2001 2005 2007 2011 2015 Next
Landsting elections	1849 1853 1855 1859 1863 1866 (Jun) 1866 (Oct) 1870 1874 1878 1882 1886 1890 1894 1898 1902 1906 1910 1914 1915 1918 1920 (Aug) 1920 (Oct) 1924 1928 1932 1936 1939 1943 (1945) 1947 1951 1953
European elections	1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014
Local elections	1900 1901 1902 1903 1906 1909 1913 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1935 1937 1943 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017
Other elections	Constituent Assembly 1848 Rigsraadet 1856 1864 1865
Referendums	1916 1920 1939 1953 1961 1963 1969 1971 1972 1978 1986 1992 1993 1998 2000 2009 2014 2015
See also: Elections and referendums in the Faroe Islands Elections and referendums in Greenland

Elections and referendums in the Faroe Islands
Løgting elections	1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1943 1945 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1980 1984 1988 1990 1994 1998 2002 2004 2008 2011 2015
Folketing elections	1920 (Apr) 1920 (Jul) 1920 (Sep) 1924 1926 1929 1932 1935 1939 1943 1945 1947 1950 1953 (Apr) 1953 (Sep) 1957 1960 1964 1966 1968 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1984 1987 1988 1990 1994 1998 2001 2005 2007 2011 2015
Referendums	1907 1946 1973 2009
See also: Elections and referendums in Denmark Elections and referendums in Greenland