Dramatic Election Looms for Dissatisfied Municipalities

Thousands of local politicians across Denmark are currently competing for citizens' support ahead of municipal elections. But there are major differences in how residents rate their municipal governments' performance over the past four years. Some council members face high stakes when they stand for re-election on November 18. This particularly applies to Frederikshavn, Odsherred, Lolland and Randers municipalities. Here, over 40% of residents are predominantly dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with how their municipality has been run since the last local election. A new survey from Epinion conducted for Constructive Institute reveals these findings. Political researcher Ditte Shamshiri from Aalborg University said municipalities with high dissatisfaction rates might see greater turnover in elected officials. She noted some incumbent politicians could face poor election results or might not be re-elected at all. These three municipalities stand out from the national average. Across Denmark, only 19% of residents are predominantly or very dissatisfied with their municipal government's performance during the current term. Nationally, 31% are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while nearly 40% are satisfied or very satisfied. Jørgen Larsen from Frederikshavn Municipality belongs to the dissatisfied voter group. He's unimpressed with the council's work during the current term. "I haven't lived here very long, but it seems like quite a mess," Larsen said. "There's been a political majority wanting to control everything, and it appears they haven't wanted to cooperate. I know some residents here who are much more dissatisfied than I am." Larsen hopes the municipal election will bring major changes. But he worries the new council might not improve things because many of the same politicians who've been arguing are running again. Many residents still enjoy living in Frederikshavn Municipality. Birgitte Uggerly Jørgensen represents this perspective. "The politicians' work over the past four years might not have been perfect," she acknowledged. "There's been debt and challenges with the port. There are cuts in elderly care. But aside from that, I'm happy living in Frederikshavn Municipality." The new citizen satisfaction survey doesn't bring celebration among Frederikshavn's politicians. Christina Lykke Eriksen from the Socialist People's Party, who's running for mayor, called the results "a huge declaration of bankruptcy." She said no politician could be satisfied with such numbers. "We're elected by citizens, and residents should feel we represent them in our work," Eriksen stated. She acknowledged their council term has featured difficult cooperation at times, adding parties need to handle inter-party relations better. Eriksen noted cooperation has improved recently but highlighted the Social Democrats have held absolute majority for years, potentially weakening democratic feeling. Social Democrat Mayor Karsten Thomsen expressed regret about many residents' dissatisfaction. He emphasized hard work already underway to rebuild trust in Frederikshavn Municipality. "All parties agree we need to address this," Thomsen said. "We've held 16 dialogue meetings this year to get closer to citizens and understand how we can improve." He said the municipality has handled many challenges that created citizen dissatisfaction, including improved port finances and a broad agreement on the new budget. Liberal Party group chairman Jan Bjeldbak isn't surprised by the high dissatisfaction levels but finds them concerning. "We need to perform better for our businesses and significantly better in elderly care," Bjeldbak said. "The coming council must create more long-term plans, which I think we've lacked." He added conviction about needing better cooperation among politicians, including himself. The survey results highlight genuine governance challenges in these municipalities rather than temporary voter discontent. With election day approaching, incumbent politicians face an uphill battle convincing dissatisfied residents they deserve another term.