Denmark Gives New Mandate to Prime Minister

Denmark's ruling coalition won a third term in government yesterday for right-leaning PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who called the election 15 months ahead of schedule, reports the Times of London. The party of Naser Khader, a Syrian-born legislator, did not win enough seats to force the ruling coalition to include it, but Rasmussen said today he might attempt to bring it into the government.

The Liberal Party—headed by Rasmussen, who drew worldwide notice in the furor following publication of cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed—leads the coalition that has 90 of 179 parliamentary seats;  the leftist Social Democrats have 84. Officials say 86.5% of Denmark's 4 million voters came to the polls yesterday, with immigration, welfare, and taxes the campaign's central issues. (More Denmark stories.)