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Mayor left out as Copenhagen lands historic budget agreement

A 0.1 percent tax cut and more expensive resident parking permits among the elements agreed to by eight parties 

Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen may be from the Socialdemokratiet party, but when the city presented its 2023 Budget Agreement today, she was nowhere in sight.

For the first time in the modern era, Socialdemokratiet has been left out of the city’s budget agreement.

Instead, Enhedslisten, Konservative, Radikale, Venstre, Alternativet, Liberal Alliance (LA), Nye Borgerlige and Dansk Folkeparti (DF) circumvented the city’s stalwart party to come to an accord regarding the financial plans for next year.

The complete agreement has yet to be revealed, but it does contain a number of elements, such as a 0.1 percent tax cut and increasing resident parking permits by about 200 kroner.

“It was by no means a given that it would end up like this. Socialdemokratiet opened negotiations by abandoning its biggest and most specific election promise to reduce parking spots,” said Enhedslisten’s Line Barfoed, who is also the city’s mayor for technical issues.

“So we started negotiating with a broad group of parties stretching from Enhedslisten and Alternativet all the way out to LA and DF.”

READ ALSO: Parking fines galore at Copenhagen hospitals

A sign of weakness?
Meanwhile, pundits have been quick to underscore the blow sustained by Socialdemokratiet. 

Pia Allerslev, a former mayor in Copenhagen herself, said that being left out of the budget constitutes a massive defeat for Andersen.

“It’s a huge blow for Hæstorp. It’s a reflection of a weak mayor. She could have gone the Red Bloc route or agreed a budget with the Blue Bloc along with Radikale. I think she’s been in doubt and that doesn’t work with other experienced politicians,” she told TV2 Lorry.

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