SIDEBAR: Female trio take lead role in Danish politics

By Lennart Simonsson Sep 16, 2011, 12:34 GMT

Copenhagen/Stockholm - Three women were poised Friday to take a lead role in Danish politics, pledging that their parties would seek a unitary approach to end a decade of centre-right policymaking.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the leader of the Social Democrats, is set to become Denmark's first female prime minster in the government she will be tasked to form following Thursday's general election.

The 44-year-old, who took over party leadership in 2005 with the main goal of returning it to power, is married to Stephen Kinnock, the son of Neil Kinnock, former leader of the British Labour Party. The couple has two children.

Thorning-Schmidt's strategy focused on overcoming divisions within the Social Democrats and forming an alliance with the Socialist People's Party.

The Social Democrats and Socialist People's Party have been swept into power despite a drop in votes, carried by a surge in popularity for their smaller leftist partners.

Margrethe Vestager of the Social Liberals saw her party jump from nine to 17 seats, a triumph for the 43-year-old party leader.

The former education minister said during the campaign that one aim of the vote was to end the era of bloc politics in Denmark and work for broad agreements.

Vestager, a mother of three, became party leader in 2007.

Unity List leader Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, who took over in 2007, also scored big gains for her party, whose seats in parliament tripled to 12.

Schmidt-Nielsen, 27, said her party would push the incoming government to work on climate issues and tackle unemployment, as well as rolling back 10 years of restrictive immigration policies.

As the three women were set to take on prominent political roles, another female leader was on her way out.

Pia Kjaersgaard, the leader of the populist Danish People's Party upon which the outgoing centre-right government had relied for support, said her party would benefit from a 'free role' in opposition.