Danish intelligence warns of foreign interference in election campaign
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's party is set to sweep 21 per cent of voters in the upcoming elections, recent polls showed.
PHOTO: REUTERS
COPENHAGEN – Denmark’s intelligence service warned on Feb 27 that a foreign power may try to sway the country’s general election on March 24 and that it was a priority target for Russia because of its support for Ukraine.
The PET police intelligence service and FE military intelligence said in a joint statement that the Scandinavian country’s election campaign could be marked by disinformation and cyberattacks.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the election on Feb 27 saying that the shadow cast by Russia was one of Denmark’s biggest threats. She also highlighted US President Donald Trump’s demands to control the Arctic territory of Greenland.
“The threat of interference targeting Denmark comes mainly from Russia but could also emanate from other state actors,” the joint statement said.
“The activities of influence could have as an aim to sow division, influence the public debate or to target candidates, parties or specific political programmes,” the PET and FE said.
“The United States’ stated desire to take possession of Greenland has led to the spread of disinformation concerning the kingdom of Denmark, which could create uncertainty” ahead of the election, the agencies said.
And “the attention paid by the United States” to Denmark has “created new international fault lines that foreign states like Russia and China could exploit for influence purposes”.
Ms Frederiksen had to call an election before Oct 31 and experts said she deliberately chose the March 24 date as her popularity has risen in recent opinion polls because of her rejection of Mr Trump’s demands to control Greenland.
According to a recent poll released by TV2 television, 21 per cent of voters would back the prime minister’s Social Democrat party, which would put it in first place, even though it would be 6.5 percentage points lower than its score at the last election in 2022.
The Social Democrats suffered badly in municipal elections in 2025, losing nearly half of the municipalities it controlled, including Copenhagen. AFP
