Voters Shift Right, Oust Social Democrats

Danish voters concerned that immigrants exploit the welfare system shifted to the right in parliamentary elections, handing the Liberal Party-led opposition victory over the Social Democrats.

With 99% of the vote counted, the Liberal Party and its supporters, including the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, had won 98 seats in the 179-seat parliament. The ruling Social Democrats and their supporters won 77 seats, down from 89.

Liberal Party leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen, 48, is widely expected to be named the next prime minister. He would replace Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, 58, who has led the country since 1993. The two are not related.