1988 Danish general election

{{Short description|none}} {{Infobox legislative election | election_name = 1988 Danish general election | country = Kingdom of Denmark | previous_election = 1987 | next_election = 1990 | seats_for_election = All 179 seats in the Folketing | majority_seats = 90 | election_date = 10 May 1988 | party1 = Social Democrats (Denmark) | leader1 = Svend Auken | last_election1 = 54 | seats1 = 55 | percentage1 = 29.82 | party2 = Conservative People's Party (Denmark) | leader2 = Poul Schlüter | last_election2 = 38 | seats2 = 35 | percentage2 = 19.29 | party3 = Socialist People's Party (Denmark) | leader3 = Gert Petersen | last_election3 = 27 | seats3 = 24 | percentage3 = 13.01 | party4 = Venstre (Denmark) | leader4 = Uffe Ellemann-Jensen | last_election4 = 19 | seats4 = 22 | percentage4 = 11.84 | party5 = Progress Party (Denmark) | leader5 = Pia Kjærsgaard | last_election5 = 9 | seats5 = 16 | percentage5 = 8.96 | party6 = Danish Social Liberal Party | leader6 = Niels Helveg Petersen | last_election6 = 11 | seats6 = 10 | percentage6 = 5.58 | party7 = Centre Democrats (Denmark) | leader7 = Erhard Jakobsen | last_election7 = 9 | seats7 = 9 | percentage7 = 4.67 | party8 = KrF | leader8 = {{nowrap|Flemming Kofod-Svendsen}} | last_election8 = 4 | seats8 = 4 | percentage8 = 2.04 | heading9 = Elected in the Faroe Islands | party9 = People's Party (Faroe Islands) | leader9 = Jógvan Sundstein | last_election9 = 1 | seats9 = 1 | percentage9 = 24.68 | party10 = Union Party (Faroe Islands) | leader10 = Pauli Ellefsen | last_election10 = 0 | seats10 = 1 | percentage10 = 24.43 | heading11 = Elected in Greenland | party11 = Siumut | leader11 = Jonathan Motzfeldt | last_election11 = 1 | seats11 = 1 | percentage11 = 40.07 | party12 = Atassut | leader12 = Otto Steenholdt | last_election12 = 1 | seats12 = 1 | percentage12 = 38.74 | title = Government | before_election = Schlüter II | before_party = K–V–CD–KrF | posttitle = Government after election | after_election = Schlüter III | after_party = K–V–R | turnout = 85.70% | map = {{Switcher | 300px | Most voted-for party by nomination district and constituency | 300px | Most voted-for party by municipality | 300px | Distribution of constituency and levelling seats}}}}

General elections were held in Denmark on 10 May 1988,<ref name=DN>Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p. 525 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref> just eight 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 Svend Auken (the leader of the Social Democrats) 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. Nonetheless, the Centre Democrats and the Christian People's Party continued to support the government.

Voter turnout was 86% in Denmark proper, 70% in the Faroe Islands and 58% in Greenland.<ref name=NS>Nohlen & Stöver, p547</ref>

==Results== {{Election results |image=File:1988 Danish general election Result.svg |header1=Denmark proper |party2=Social Democrats|votes2=992682|seats2=55|sc2=+1 |party3=Conservative People's Party|votes3=642048|seats3=35|sc3=–3 |party4=Socialist People's Party|votes4=433261|seats4=24|sc4=–3 |party5=Venstre|votes5=394190|seats5=22|sc5=+3 |party6=Progress Party|votes6=298132|seats6=16|sc6=+7 |party7=Danish Social Liberal Party|votes7=185707|seats7=10|sc7=–1 |party8=Centre Democrats|votes8=155464|seats8=9|sc8=0 |party9=Christian People's Party|votes9=68047|seats9=4|sc9=0 |party10=Common Course|votes10=63263|seats10=0|sc10=–4 |party11=The Greens|votes11=44960|seats11=0|sc11=0 |party12=Communist Party of Denmark|votes12=27439|seats12=0|sc12=0 |party13=Left Socialists|votes13=20303|seats13=0|sc13=0 |party14=Independents|votes14=3633|seats14=0|sc14=0 |invalid=23522 |electorate=3911897 |total_sc=0 |embedded = {{Election results|embed=y|header1=Faroe Islands |party2=People's Party|votes2=5655|seats2=1|sc2=0 |party3=Union Party|votes3=5597|seats3=1|sc3=+1 |party4=Social Democratic Party|votes4=4861|seats4=0|sc4=–1 |party5=Republican Party|votes5=4690|seats5=0|sc5=0 |party6=Self-Government|votes6=897|seats6=0|sc6=0 |party7=Christian People's Party|votes7=891|seats7=0|sc7=0 |party8=Progress Party|votes8=321|seats8=0|sc8=0 |invalid=100 |electorate=32715 |total_sc=0 |embedded = {{Election results|embed=y|header1=Greenland |party2=Siumut|votes2=8415|seats2=1|sc2=0 |party3=Atassut|votes3=8135|seats3=1|sc3=0 |party4=Inuit Ataqatigiit|votes4=3628|seats4=0|sc4=0 |party5=Polar Party|votes5=821|seats5=0|sc5=0 |invalid=1169 |electorate=38301 |total_sc=0 |source=Nohlen & Stöver }}}}}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== *Jespersen, Mary P. S. "A Danish Defence Dilemma: The Election of May 1988," ''West European Politics'' (1989) 12#1 pp. 189–195.

Category:1988 elections in Denmark Category:May 1988 in Europe Category:Folketing elections