Social Democrat Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will lead a grand coalition, the first in over 40 years. With 42 days to go until the parliamentary elections, the longest debates in the country’s history, an agreement has been reached in Denmark on the formation of a new government: for the first time since 1978, it will be a grand coalition led by the centre-left Social Democrats party of outgoing prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who will continue to be the prime minister, and formed together with the centre-right Liberals party, its historic rival, and the centrist Moderates party. In the early elections the Social Democrats had been the most voted party and the centre-left coalition they led had won 90 seats, the minimum needed to form a government majority; the centre-right coalition had won 72. Frederiksen said that many compromises would be needed and that the coalition had big ambitions: to grow employment, tackle the climate crisis and pass sweeping reforms. Today the prime minister is expected to present the government programme together with Liberal leader Jacob Elleman-Jensen and Moderate leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, himself prime minister between 2009 and 2011 and then again between 2015 and 2019. The names of the new ministers should be announced on Thursday. Large coalitions are a rarity in the political history of Denmark, a country where in recent decades Social Democrats and Liberals have alternated in minority governments, supported from time to time by small allied parties. During the election campaign, Frederiksen had declared that a government was needed that could overcome the divisions between left and right, especially in light of the complex international situation. The grand coalition should be welcomed by Danish industry groups had hoped for a very broad parliamentary alliance to aim for various economic reforms, including one on the labour market, which would address the shortage of workers, a problem that has long plagued Denmark.