Denmark’s Rasmussen faces refined leftist in bid for PM seat

A “man of the people” on the right will face off against a Gucci-accessorised leftist in Denmark’s elections being held today.

Waiting in the wings, and hoping to continue her party’s role as power-broker, is a populist leader known as Mamma Pia.

Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen heads the outgoing centre-right coalition, which usually attracts the financial elites.

But the 47-year-old is known as a down-to-earth, spontaneous politician who speaks the plain language of the man on the street.

His main rival, meanwhile, centre-left opposition leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt, has a sophisticated, up-market image.

The 44-year-old elegant blond has headed the the traditional workers’ party since 2005, but due to her pricey taste in clothes and handbags finds herself stuck with the nickname Gucci Helle.” If the opposition wins today, as opinion polls suggestion it will, Ms Thorning-Schmidt will become Denmark’s first-ever woman head of government.

Only six years ago, at the age of 38, she became the first woman to rule the Social Democrats, the party that dominated Danish politics for most of the 20th century. Her party leadership has been marked by a break with what had been seen as the laxity of the Social Democrats. Ahead of the 2007 elections for example, the party campaigned for a “firm but humane immigration policy”.

She has a political science degree from the University of Copenhagen and worked as a consultant on EU issues for Denmark’s main union LO before running in the European elections in 1999. She held her seat in the European parliament until 2004, when she returned to Denmark. Ms Thorning-Schmidt is married and has two daughters with Stephen Kinnock, the son of Neil Kinnock, a former leader of Britain’s Labour Party.

But she and her husband faced allegations last week that she and her husband had claimed excessive tax allowances, a year after she beat back similar accusations.

Ms Thorning-Schmidt has pushed for higher taxes for high-income earners.