Nye Borgerlige loses mandate following election night drama

Mette Thiesen has set a new record by leaving the right wing party to become an independent just six days after election

Election night for Nye Borgerlige (NB) was supposed to be a joyful event. 

The right-wing party had gone up 3.7 percentage points compared to the previous general election and held six mandates in Parliament. 

Then … the lort hit the fan. 

Now, just six days after the election, NB stands to lose one of its mandates following Mette Thiesen’s decision to leave the party and become an independent.

READ ALSO: Record number of women elected to Parliament

From votes to violence
It all began on election night when a man was escorted out of the party’s election event after throwing beer in the face of another guest live on camera (see video in link).

Days later, it emerged that the man who was escorted away was the partner of Mette Thiesen, who had just won election to Parliament again.

Then it surfaced that Thiesen’s partner had knocked a man down at the event and sent him to the hospital. That man, it turned out, had previously been in a relationship with Thiesen.

Apparently, Thiesen’s partner had threatened the man before – even accosting him in his office in Christiansborg – and she had been told he was not welcome at NB events. 

Despite that, Theisen brought him along to the election event – a decision that she says she regrets. 

READ ALSO: Election 2022: Dwindling number of MPs over 60

Keeping the mandate
NB boss Pernille Vermund has stated that the party was due to meet to discuss Theisen’s future with the party after she refused to “take responsibility for solving the problem”.

But before that could happen Theisen announced that she had left the party and become an independent … taking NB’s mandate with her, much to Vermund’s chagrin. 

“I think it’s a shame and dishonourable to the NB voters who voted for her just a week ago on our party list,” Vermund wrote in a party newsletter.

According to one expert, Aarhus University professor Helene Helboe Pedersen, Theisen’s departure is the quickest following an election in history.

She received 4,357 personal votes in the election last week.




  • The Lynch Interviews: Fergal O’Byrne

    The Lynch Interviews: Fergal O’Byrne

    English-Australian writer and theatre director Stuart Lynch contributes a monthly column titled “The Lynch Interviews”. In this series, he engages with prominent internationals residing in Denmark or Danish individuals with a global perspective. For April, he interviews Irish playwright and writer Fergal O’Byrne, fresh from an acclaimed season of a new English-language play in Copenhagen.

  • Why your talented internationals aren’t moving up the ladder – and what to do about it

    Why your talented internationals aren’t moving up the ladder – and what to do about it

    Many internationals find it difficult to advance in their new workplaces, and some quietly leave. It’s not because they lack talent. In Denmark, careers are shaped not only by skills but also by cultural understanding, informal networks, and social signals. However, internationals may not be familiar with this system or know how to navigate it

  • The international behind Donkey Republic: how a Turkish systems thinker reimagined urban mobility in Denmark

    The international behind Donkey Republic: how a Turkish systems thinker reimagined urban mobility in Denmark

    Erdem Ovacık, co-founder of Donkey Republic, built one of Europe’s leading bike-sharing companies from Denmark — but success as an international entrepreneur hasn’t come easy

  • Denmark hits 66.2 million overnight stays: what’s fueling the rise?

    Denmark hits 66.2 million overnight stays: what’s fueling the rise?

    In 2024, Denmark saw 1.5 million more overnight stays than in 2023, bringing the total to 66.2 million staying in hotels, holiday centers, campsites, and youth hostels. It’s clear: after COVID-19, traveling is now back on the table. But the question is: why are people choosing Denmark?

  • World Cup in Ice Hockey will face off in Herning

    World Cup in Ice Hockey will face off in Herning

    As in 2018, Denmark will co-host the Ice Hockey World Championship. And once again, Herning and Jyske Bank Boxen will be the hosts. Denmark is in Pool B and starts tonight with a match against the USA, which, given the political tensions between the two countries, may be an icy affair.

  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.