Denmark's biggest party is pondering whether to exclude non-citizens from local elections

Copenhagen Post:

Anger over an immigrant politician's decision to switch parties right after last week's local election has the Liberal Party, Denmark's largest party and the party of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, considering ways to exclude non-citizens from local elections, regional daily Fyens Stiftstidene reported on Wednesday.

The party has previously been a supporter of the rule allowing foreign citizens living in Denmark to vote and run in municipal elections after three years of residence.

'We've got some very permissive regulations in this area, and we should consider whether we should demand Danish citizenship in order to participate in local elections, just as it is in national elections,' said Liberal spokesman for municipal issues, Leif Mikkelsen.

The sudden change of attitude comes on the heels of revelations that a Liberal city counsellor in Copenhagen, Wallait Khan, had simultaneously run for election in Copenhagen and in his native country of Pakistan.

In addition to running - and losing - the race for vice mayor, Khan has also drawn attention to himself by switching parties immediately after the 15 November municipal elections in Denmark. Khan's switch was crucial in determining the make up of the leadership of the council.

Khan pointed out that he was not the only Danish resident running for office in Pakistan.

The revelation failed to sit well with a number of political parties, and some are nearing the position taken by the right-wing Danish People's Party, which has been the only party to support a rule change to exclude non-citizens from local elections.

Supporters of non-citizen voting rights have called them a good tool for foreigners to learn about Denmark's democratic traditions.

Social Liberal Party municipal affairs spokesman Ole Glahn said he was shaken by the Liberals' new stance.

'Using a single instance like this one to exclude all non-citizens from municipal elections is too much. This says a lot about how much the Liberals have come under the influence of the Danish People's Party,' Glahn said, referring to the alliance between the minority coalition government and the Danish People's Party.

The Liberals' governing partner, the Conservatives, was also against preventing non-citizens from voting.

'We've already made it more difficult to become a citizen. Should we also take away immigrants' ability to influence local issues like schools and nursing homes?' asked Conservative municipal issues spokesman Christian Wedell-Neergaard.

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