Danish general election, 1988

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10 May 1988

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All 179 seats to the Folketing
90 seats were needed for a majority

Turnout

85.3%

	First party	Second party

Leader	Svend Auken	Poul Schlüter
Party	Social Democrats	Conservative People's
Last election	54 seats, 29.3%	38 seats, 20.8%
Seats won	55	35
Seat change	1	3
Popular vote	992,682	642,048
Percentage	29.8%	19.3%

Prime Minister before election

Poul Schlüter
Conservative People's

Prime Minister-elect

Poul Schlüter
Conservative People's

General elections were held in Denmark on 10 May 1988, just seven months after the last elections. Prime Minister Poul Schlüter chose to call for an election after the Conservative People's Party-led government fell short of a majority in a foreign policy issue after they failed to come to an agreement with the Social Democrats. In a parliamentary debate Prime Minister Poul Schlüter accused the leader of the Social Democrats, Svend Auken, of breaking a political deal between the two of them, whilst Auken accused Schlüter of lying to the public.

However, the election did not change the balance of power in the Folketing. Common Course failed to cross the 2% percent threshold and lost their four seats. The Centre Democrats and the Christian People's Party left the government (although they continued to support it) and were replaced by the Danish Social Liberal Party. The reason for doing this was that it gave Schlüter a majority in foreign policy issues, which had caused this election. The Centre Democrats and Christian People's Party continued to support the government though.

Voter turnout was 85.7% in Denmark proper, 70.3% in the Faroe Islands and 57.9% in Greenland.

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