The Prime Minister of Denmark (Danish: statsminister) is the head of government in Danish politics. He is the leader of a political coalition in the Danish parliament (the Folketing) and the leader of the cabinet.
The prime minister and cabinet are appointed by the queen, determined by the party composition in the Folketing. The choices must not be opposed by a majority of the Folketing. [1] If a vote of no confidence is received, the prime minister may either resign along with the cabinet or ask the monarch to dissolve the parliament and call a new election.
The current prime minister of Denmark is Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He leads a coalition of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Conservative People's Party (Konservative Folkeparti).
The prime minister has the power to dissolve the parliament and thus force a new election, which he is obligated to do within four years of the previous elections. In spite of this, the Prime Minister has no political say in regard to Denmark's autonomous regions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, while the parliament on the other hand does. As all laws passed by the Faroese and Greenlandic parliaments must be ratified by the Folketing.
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From 1848 to 1855, the head of government was titled "Premierminister" (Prime Minister). In 1855, the title was changed to ”Konseilspræsident” (Council President); then in 1918 it was changed again to "Statsminister" (State Minister). The official date of the founding of the prime minister's office is January 1, 1914.
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