The former Speaker of Parliament could press the voting button now.

It could very well be a good time for the prime minister to call an election.

That’s the view of former Social Democratic leader Mogens Lykketoft. If he were sitting at the negotiating table right now, it could "easily be imagined" that the election button would be pressed, he says.

"After all, there should be elections this year," he tells P1’s *Svingdøren* program.

Right now, there is much speculation about whether Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) might decide to call an early election.

According to DR’s political analyst Rikke Gjøl Mansø, this is exactly the question that’s buzzing around Christiansborg’s corridors.

The speculation is fueled by several factors—better opinion polls for the Social Democrats, the party’s recent school proposal with a class size cap of 14 students in primary education—and, above all, the U.S. president’s desire to control Greenland.

"Trump could very well be the factor that triggers an election here this spring," says Mogens Lykketoft.

Before Donald Trump pressured Danish politicians to address the issue of Greenland, the Social Democrats were struggling with poor opinion polls.

In December, a poll conducted by Epinion for DR and Altinget showed that 16.5 percent of voters would mark the Social Democrats. That was the party’s worst result since May 2013 and a significant decline compared to the 27.5 percent it received in the 2022 Folketing election.

Last year’s municipal election also saw the party lose in 86 out of 98 municipalities.

"The polls were at rock bottom. The municipal election was disastrous (...), and it didn’t look like Mette Frederiksen’s balancing acts could keep the majority going," says Mogens Lykketoft.

"If we had been here a month ago, the general impression would have been that the government has no chance."

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**"People admire her for crisis management"**

But then things started to shift in the U.S.

Trump initially did not rule out using military force to gain control over Greenland and threatened the EU with tariffs if the countries supported Denmark and Greenland.

He has since backed down on both fronts, but the president’s actions have been "immensely helpful for the government," according to Mogens Lykketoft.

According to DR’s latest Epinion opinion poll from January 30, the Social Democrats are at 21.6 percent—an improvement compared to the December poll.

"Voter sentiment is rallying," says Mogens Lykketoft.

"What the polls show now is that people admire her (Mette Frederiksen, ed.) for her crisis management. That’s what makes them feel secure about her leadership."

The same point is made by former Folketing member for the Conservatives and later Ny Alliance, Gitte Seeberg.

"I know many people who would never dream of voting Social Democratic, but who think and tell me that it’s probably best after all for Mette Frederiksen to continue as prime minister. They feel that there are reliable people at the helm, even if they might not particularly like the Social Democrats," she says in *Svingdøren*.

The former Social Democratic leader emphasizes that he has no idea when an election might be called.

It’s up to the prime minister alone to decide when to hold the election. The latest it can be is October 31 this year, as the last Folketing election took place on November 1, 2022, and the earliest it can be is four years later.

"There could easily be something that makes it seem like an election will happen after the summer holidays. Things are always changing—both with opinion polls and events that need to be handled," says Mogens Lykketoft.

You can listen to the full *Svingdøren* episode featuring former Social Democratic leader Mogens Lykketoft, former Culture and Church Minister for LA Mette Bock, and Gitte Seeberg, who was a former Folketing member for the Conservatives.

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