Morten Messerschmidt yesterday won the backing of 499 Dansk Folkeparti delegates to succeed Kristian Thulesen Dahl as the new party leader – 60.5 percent of the vote.
The margin of victory was so emphatic that even if second-placed Martin Henriksen (219) and Merete Dea Larsen (107) had pooled their votes together, they would have come a long way short.
Last week, Erik Høgh-Sørensen withdrew in the hope his votes would enable one of the other candidates to overhaul Messerschmidt, but it was all in vain.
There was no stopping the politician who the media for a long time now have been calling the ‘Crown Prince’: the natural successor to founder and long-time leader Pia Kjærsgaard, who is his biggest supporter.
Time to heal the wounds
Messerschmidt was gracious in his victory speech in Herning.“It is not a case of ‘the winner takes it all’. Now the winner has an obligation to bring the party together,” he said.
He offered an olive branch to his fellow candidates in light of a leadership contest that got a little ugly at times – by Danish standards
“I understand that such a process can include some harsh words, but we must draw a line over all that,” he later told DR. “It is extremely important we listen to each other, and it is important that the thoughts of both Merete and Martin are included moving forwards.”
Messerschmidt’s most vocal critic was health spokesperson Liselott Blixt, who promised to leave the party if he won. However, she has already said she will wait until the party’s meeting on Tuesday to assess the situation.
