Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister Of Denmark: Leadership Built On Responsibility

Mette Frederiksen is Denmark’s youngest-ever prime minister and one of the most prominent social democratic leaders in Europe today. Born in 1977, she entered national politics early, first winning election to the Danish parliament in 2001. Over the years, she built a reputation as a focused and disciplined policymaker, particularly on issues related to social welfare, labor rights, and equality.

In 2015, Frederiksen took over as leader of the Social Democrats and led the party to a majority in the 2019 general election, though in a minority government. Her political identity is highly associated with Nordic welfare model. She also supports a robust state involvement in provision of social security, affordable healthcare, good education and worker protection in the view that social cohesion is a precondition to longevity of economic power.

To a large extent, her style of leadership can be described as pragmatic and decisive. This was the most apparent during this COVID-19 pandemic when Denmark assumed early and stringent measures to safeguard the health of the population. Even though certain acts caused legal and political controversy, the manner in which Frederiksen dealt with these circumstances made her stand stronger as a leader who is prepared to accept responsibility during crisis situations.

When you are responsible for a country, you cannot wait for perfect answers, you must act with the information you have

Frederiksen has seen a major shift to more vigorous defence and closer collaboration with European allies and NATO in foreign and security policy in response to shifting geopolitical realities. She has also made Denmark a proactive country when it comes to climate action and democratic values.