Denmark's New Coalition Government Plans to Reinstate Public Holiday

Denmark's newly formed four-party coalition, calling itself the "Cloverleaf Government," has announced plans to bring back "Store Bededag" (Great Prayer Day) as a public holiday starting in 2030. The coalition, comprising the Social Democrats, SF, Moderates, and the Social Liberals, outlined this in their government platform.

However, the reinstatement is not unconditional. The government stated that the holiday can only be reintroduced if an equivalent increase in employment is achieved beforehand. This condition is linked to the economic impact of abolishing the holiday in 2023, which was estimated to increase the labor supply by 8,500 people, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The previous SVM-led government, with support from the Social Liberals, abolished Store Bededag in 2023, facing strong opposition from labor unions, bishops, and political parties. SF, now part of the new coalition, had campaigned on restoring the holiday, while the other three governing parties had previously supported its removal.

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And then the Danes will get Store Bededag back. I think that has something to it too.

"And then the Danes will get Store Bededag back. I think that has something to it too," said SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr at the press conference. Moderates leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen acknowledged that compromises were made, expressing satisfaction with the resulting government platform and emphasizing the potential for progress when politicians cooperate.

The new government will operate as a minority government with 82 seats in parliament. Enhedslisten and Alternativet will serve as support parties, having secured agreements on issues such as public transport for children and youth, publicly funded dental care, and changes to Danish pork production. The name "Cloverleaf Government" echoes a previous coalition led by Poul Schlüter from 1982 to 1988.

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there are compromises made along the way. That said, I would like to say that we are even immensely satisfied with the government platform that we will help take responsibility for. It shows that a lot can be done when responsible politicians reach out to each other.