Danish Landsting election, 1943

The Danish Landsting election of 1943 was held on 6 April 1943, with the exception that the electors were elected on 23 March.^[1] Along with the corresponding Folketing election, it was the first election during the German occupation, and although many people feared how the Germans might react to the election, the event took place peacefully.^[2]

The voter turnout was at 88.8% unusually high, and along with the Folketing election of the same year the election became a demonstration against the occupation.^[3] After the elections, leading German newspapers expressed disappointment and indignation with the lack of political evolution among the Danish voters.^[2]

Of the seven constituencies the seats elected by the resigning parliament and the seats representing constituencies number two (Copenhagen County, Frederiksborg County, Holbæk County, Sorø County, Præstø County and Maribo County), number three (Bornholm County) and number five (Vejle County, Aarhus County, Skanderborg County, Ringkøbing County, Ribe County, Aabenraa County, Haderslev County, Sønderborg County and Tønder County). Constituency number seven, which represented the Faroe Islands, had previously held elections simultaneously with these three constituencies but the election on the Faroe Islands was postponed for four years until the 1947 election.^[1]

Results

Party	Leader	Total number of votes cast	Seats elected by electors	Seats not up for election^[a]	Total number of seats	Gain/loss
Social Democratic Party		291,797	12	22	34	–1
Venstre		169,032	7	11	18	0
Conservative People's Party		148,050	6	8	14	+1
Det Radikale Venstre		71,429	3	5	8	0
National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark		14,407	0	0	0	0
Justice Party of Denmark		11,020	0	0	0	0
Farmers' Party		8,117	0	1	1	0
Dansk Samling		6,392	0	0	0	0
Outside the parties^[b]			0	1	1	0
Total		720,214	28	48	76
Invalid votes		6,286
Votes cast		726,500
Voter turnout		88.8%
Source		[1][3][4]

Notes

^a The candidates who were elected for a term of eight years at the 1939 election.

^b The Faroese member, who was elected by the Løgting in the 1939 election.

References

1. Thorborg, Johs. (ed.) (1943). Rigsdagsaarbog 1942-43 (Danish). Copenhagen: J. H. Schultz Forlag, pp. 47-51
2. Nordengaard, J. P. (1949). Valgene til Rigsdagen gennem 100 Aar (Danish). Roskilde Dagbladstrykkeri, chapter III, pp. 7-8.
3. Wendt, Frantz W. (1951). "Rigsdagen 1915–40", in Bomholt, J., Fabricius, K., Hjelholt, H., Mackeprang, M. & Møller, A. (eds.): Den Danske Rigsdag 1849–1949 bind II — Rigsdagens histore 1866–1949 (Danish). Copenhagen: J. H. Schultz Forlag, pp. 642-43.
4. Møller, Poul (1950). Politisk Haandbog. En Samling konkrete Oplysninger (Danish). Copenhagen: H. Hagerup, pp. 309-11.