Venstre leader Troels Lund Poulsen says he privately doubted whether his party would survive, in a long interview about rebuilding trust with voters.
The interview was published Sunday by DR, which recorded it Wednesday afternoon at Christiansborg. Poulsen describes the start of his chairmanship as an existential crisis for Venstre. He also says he underestimated what it would take to move the party to a better place.
Poulsen took over as chairman from Jakob Ellemann-Jensen almost three years ago, after Venstre entered government with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. According to DR, Venstre fell to 6.5 percent in an Epinion poll for the broadcaster in spring 2024. Poulsen says that in his dark moments he wondered how the decline would end.
Venstre has lost ground at all three elections held under his leadership. The party lost two of its four seats at the 2024 European Parliament election and slipped again at the 2025 municipal elections, while ending with the most mayoral posts. At the Folketing election in the spring, it recorded its worst result in its 156 year history.
Poulsen points out that Venstre still became the largest party in the blue bloc, with 10.1 percent of the vote. Liberal Alliance finished 0.6 percentage points behind. He says a new parliamentary group and a free role in opposition point in the right direction.
Blue bloc leadership left open
Poulsen says the central word in his plan is freedom, including greater individual trust and a break with what he calls System-Danmark. He describes Venstre as a liberal welfare party that wants to invest in schools and health care. He also says the party has historically been too unclear and at times too invisible.
Dansk Folkeparti has become the largest blue party in the polls, and its chairman, Morten Messerschmidt, has signaled interest in the prime minister’s office. Poulsen rules out helping Messerschmidt become prime minister, citing disagreements on the EU, support for Ukraine and climate policy. He does not rule out Liberal Alliance leader Alex Vanopslagh in the same way.
As reported by Berlingske, Vanopslagh recently called a merger between Liberal Alliance and Venstre a theoretical possibility. Poulsen tells DR that he has put himself forward as a blue candidate for prime minister. Asked whether he believes he will get the job, he says voters are capable of deciding.
Poulsen also addresses the government’s tax reform, which would ease several income taxes, cut corporate tax and raise the ceiling on the share savings account. He rejects the element the blue parties call the sniger-skat, under which several rates would be frozen for two years. He says he does not take Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s guarantee on the matter seriously.
DR notes that the interview took place shortly before Venstre lawmaker Søren Gade announced his position on a fertilizer bill. Gade said he would vote against the party line.
