A citizens’ proposal demanding an end to the anonymization of politicians in Denmark’s Afghanistan inquiry passed 50,000 signatures on Tuesday, the threshold for consideration in the Folketing.
DR reports that the proposal reached the mark on August 18, 2026. It was submitted by Afghanistan veteran Morten Kromann together with the membership association Danmarks Veteraner og Veteranstøtte.
The proposal targets the arrangement that lets politicians decide whether they are quoted by name in the inquiry into Denmark’s military effort in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021. According to DR, it applies only to material already security cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Per Kromann, there must be openness about the decision-making process when the Folketing sends soldiers to war. He told DR he still considers the arrangement problematic in principle, even though most politicians have now agreed to be named.
The Folketing itself commissioned the inquiry in 2021. Researchers at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) have had the report of more than 1,000 pages ready for close to 16 months, DR reports. Following a recommendation from Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn, the Folketing Presidium decided that politicians may choose whether their names appear.
Most of the politicians involved have said they are willing to be quoted by name, they have told Berlingske. Not all have given an answer. Kromann points to former defense minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen of Venstre, who does not want to be named or be recognizable in his quotes.
Background to the Afghanistan inquiry
During Denmark’s 20 years in Afghanistan, 44 Danish soldiers were killed and around 12,000 Danes were deployed, according to DR. Supporters of the proposal cite those figures as grounds for full political accountability in the inquiry.
The proposal was launched on the Folketing’s borgerforslag platform on June 10, 2026, registered as FT-23917. Under the official rules published on Borgerforslag.dk, a proposal needs at least 50,000 supporters within its support window, which for FT-23917 runs until December 7, 2026. The proposal text asks that DIIS be allowed to reproduce all security cleared statements and records from the Foreign Policy Committee’s meetings with names attached.
Politiken notes that the 50,000 signatures were gathered in just over two months. In earlier coverage on August 12, 2026, the newspaper reported that the proposal stood at about 47,000 signatures, and that Dansk Folkeparti had stated it will vote in favor once the matter reaches the chamber.
The Norwegian outlet Geopolitika, citing DR and Ritzau, reported that nearly 10,000 people signed in the first three days after the proposal went online. BT also reports the 50,000 milestone and repeats that the proposal covers only Foreign Ministry cleared material.
