THE frequency with which governments announce investment initiatives, job-creation programmes and economy-boosting schemes is a sure sign that an election is in the offing. Danish voters in recent days have been treated to an array of plans, courtesy of Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s centre-left minority government. They are part of a new 50-point blueprint that aims, among other things, to revive remote towns with everything from better broadband to easier planning permission. Businesses all over Denmark should also benefit from lower levies on such things as sugar.
As in the other Nordic countries, elections in Denmark tend to be pre-planned. But whereas voters in Norway know to the day when an election will be held because of a constitutional ban on snap polls, Danes know only that they will be called to the polls at some stage before September 14th. Ms Thorning-Schmidt’s dilemma lies in picking the best moment to try to return to power for a second term.
It is not an easy choice. For most of the past four years she has been the underdog in the opinion polls. But recently, thanks partly to a new get-tough-on-immigrants…
The Economist: Europe