Svend Auken | |
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Svend Auken, 1998
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Leader of the Social Democrats | |
In office 1987–1992 |
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Preceded by | Anker Jørgensen |
Succeeded by | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen |
Member of Parliament | |
In office 1971–2009 |
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Minister of Employment | |
In office 1 October 1977 – 10 September 1982 |
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Preceded by | Erling Jensen |
Succeeded by | Grethe Fenger Møller |
Minister for the Environment | |
In office 25 January 1993 – 27 November 2001 |
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Preceded by | Per Stig Møller |
Succeeded by | Hans Christian Schmidt |
Energy Minister | |
In office 27 September 1994 – 27 November 2001 |
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Preceded by | Jann Sjursen |
Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | 24 May 1943 Aarhus, Denmark |
Died | 4 August 2009 (aged 66) Copenhagen, Denmark |
Political party | Social Democratic Party |
Svend Gunnarsen Auken (Danish pronunciation: [svɛn ˈɑʊ̯ˀɡŋ̩]; 24 May 1943 – 4 August 2009) was a Danish politician. He represented the Social Democrats as a member of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) from 1971 until his death.
Auken held a degree in political science from the University of Aarhus and also taught there for a period in the very early 1970s. He was Minister of Employment from 1 October 1977 to 10 September 1982 in the Cabinet of Anker Jørgensen II, III, IV, and V.
In 1987 Svend Auken succeeded Jørgensen as leader of the Danish Social Democrats, at that time an opposition party to the government of Prime Minister Poul Schlüter. After making big gains in the 1990 general election, he was subsequently unable to put together a workable coalition, partly because of bad personal relations with prominent politicians in the traditional coalition party of the Social Democrats, Det Radikale Venstre (The Social Liberal Party of Denmark).
His position as leader of the Social Democrats was challenged in 1992 by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, who went on to win the internal election. That gave Auken the dubious distinction of being the first Social Democratic leader since 1910 to not become prime minister. (Subsequently, this has happened to Mogens Lykketoft, leader from 2002 to 2005, as well.)
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen went on to become Prime Minister of Denmark in 1993, and Auken served as Minister for the Environment from 25 January 1993 to 27 September 1994 in the Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen I and was Minister for the Environment and Energy from 27 September 1994 to 27 November 2001 in the Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen II, III and IV.