Lars Barfoed has announced that he is stepping down as the head of the opposition party Konservative, saying that he believes that the party is in need of "new passion".

Søren Pape Poulsen, the mayor of Viborg, will take over Barfoed’s position, although Brian Mikkelsen will initially handle parliamentary duties since Poulsen is not yet a member of parliament.

“Now is the right time for Søren Pape to take over; he is the right man to continue our work. I will continue my work in parliament,” Barfoed said in a press release. "He has council leadership experience and is good at promoting and formulating the ideas of the Konservative party. With Søren at the helm, we have the generational change I have long considered.”

READ MORE: Party profile: Konservative

Poll position
Barfoed, who has previously been Denmark’s justice minister, has led a Konservative party that has been struggling in the polls in recent years. At the moment the party is at around 4.9 percent in the polls, compared to the 10.4 percent they enjoyed back in 2007.

“Everything is going well, except in the polls,” Barfoed told TV2. “We want more mandates in parliament and this can help generate change in the eyes of the voters.”

Poulsen is scheduled to officially become Konservative’s new head on the weekend of September 27-28 when the party holds its national congress.