Home > 4.7 European elections > 12DENMARK - Consolidated Act Concerning the Election of the Danish Members of the European Parliament
 
 
 
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Section 11
 

(1) New parties aiming to participate in European Parliament elections must apply for registration with the Minister for the Interior and Health by noon 11 weeks prior to election day. The application must be accompanied by declarations from a number of voters corresponding to at least 2 per cent of all valid votes cast in the latest general election. The declarations required to accompany the application must be registered as voter declarations for that party using the digital system made available to voters by the Minister for the Interior and Health under the first sentence of subsection (6).


(2) Before a new party commences the collection of voter declarations under the second sentence of subsection (1), the name of the party must be approved by the election board set up under section 17 of the Folketing (Parliamentary) Elections Act. The approval is valid for three years as from the date of the approval. An application for approval of the name of a new party whose name cannot be approved, see section 12, can be filed no earlier than 30 days prior to the expiry of the period in which the name cannot be approved.


(3) A person entitled to vote in European Parliament elections can have no more than one party name approved under the first sentence of subsection (2). When filing an application for approval of a name for a party aiming to participate in European Parliament elections, the application form issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Health must be used. The application must state the name and CPR number of the applicant, the name and CPR number of any
representative nominated by the applicant and contact details of the party. The Minister for the Interior and Health shall register the party name approved as soon as possible using the digital system made available to voters by the Minister for the Interior and Health under the first sentence of subsection (6). The Minister for the Interior and Health shall announce the full name of the holder of an approved party name or of a representative nominated by the holder as
well as contact details of the party (4) Upon request, the Election Board can extend the period of approval of a party name by one year as from the expiry of the previous period of approval if there is reason to believe that an application for registration of the party will be filed within such extended period. Extensions can be granted more than once in special cases. A request for extension must be filed on or before the day of the expiry of the previous approval, unless exceptional circumstances prevail. If a request for extension of an approval is filed on or before the day of the expiry of the previous approval, the approval will be maintained until a decision has been made as to whether to grant the request.


(5) If no application has been filed for registration of a party within the stipulated period of approval of the name of the party, including any extended period, see subsections (2) and (4), the person whose application for approval of the party name was granted can only apply for approval of the same party name when one year has elapsed since the day when the period of the previous approval expired. Even when one year has not elapsed since the day when the previous period of approval expired, the person whose application for approval of the party name was granted can file an application for approval of the same party name if others cannot be granted approval of the party name under the rules of section 12, read with section 13(1)(ii) and (v) and (2), of the Folketing (Parliamentary) Elections Act (lov om valg til Folketinget).


(6) When submitting voter declarations, voters must use a digital system made available directly to voters by the Minister for the Interior and Health, but see subsection (7). Voters can submit voter declarations only if they have provided proof of their identity using the digital system, but see subsection (7). A voter declaration can be registered using the digital system only if the voter can submit a valid voter declaration under subsections (8) to (10). Voter declarations are valid only if registered in the digital system.


(7) Notwithstanding the second sentence of subsection (6), voters registered in the Civil Registration System (CPR) and exempt from the mandatory requirement to set up a Digital Post account according to rules made in pursuance of section 5(1) of the Act on Digital Post from Public Issuers (lov om Digital Post fra offentlige afsendere) can submit voter declarations to the Minister for the Interior and Health on a paper form approved by the Minister for the Interior and Health. Notwithstanding the second sentence of subsection (6), voters falling within the scope of section 3(1)(ii), section 3a or section 3b of this Act or section 2 of the Folketing (Parliamentary) Elections Act (lov om valg til Folketinget) and included in the electoral register can submit voter declarations to the Minister for the Interior and Health on a paper form approved by the Minister for the Interior and Health. Notwithstanding the second sentence of subsection (6), any citizen of one of the other Member States of the European Union having reached the voting age for general elections and registered with the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can submit a voter declaration to the Minister for the Interior and Health on a paper form approved by the Minister for the Interior and Health. Any voter declaration submitted under the first, second or third sentence hereof must include the
information required on the paper form, including the voter's name and CPR number, and must be dated and signed by the voter. The Minister for the Interior and Health shall then register the voter declaration in the digital system made available by the Minister for the Interior and Health under the first sentence of subsection (6). The third and fourth sentences of subsection (6) also apply.


(8) At the time when a declaration is registered in the digital system, the voter must meet the conditions for entitlement to vote in European Parliament elections.


(9) A voter can submit a valid voter declaration under subsection (6) only if that voter has submitted a statement of support for the party at least seven days prior to the submission of the voter declaration using the digital system and has provided proof of his or her identity when submitting that statement of support. A voter can submit a valid voter declaration under subsection (7) only if that voter has asked the Minister for the Interior and Health for a paper
form for submitting a voter declaration under subsection (7) at least seven days prior to the submission of the voter declaration.


(10) A voter declaration is valid for a period of 18 months from the date of its registration in the digital system. However, a voter declaration is valid only for as long as the approval of the party name remains in force, see subsections (2) and (4). Any voter is entitled to withdraw his or her declaration, but only until the time when an application is filed for registration of the party. Subsequently, the voter declaration is no longer valid. If the party has filed an application for registration of the party with the Minister for the Interior and Health and the voter declaration is valid as set out in the first to fourth sentences hereof at the time of application for registration, such voter declaration will remain valid for the duration of the validity of the application for registration of the party, see subsection (11). No voter can submit a declaration for the same or another party for the duration of the validity of his or her voter declaration as set out in the first to fifth sentences hereof. A voter declaration will remain registered in the digital system for the duration of the validity of his or her voter declaration as set out in the first to fifth sentences hereof. A voter declaration which is no longer valid under the first to fifth sentences hereof will be deleted from the digital system, and any paper form used for submitting that voter declaration will be destroyed.


(11) The registration of a party is valid until the next European Parliament election. For the duration of the period of valid registration of a party, the party cannot cancel its registration or file a new application for registration of the party.


(12) Even when the registration of a party is still valid under subsection (11), it is possible for any such party with a valid registration under subsection (1) to have its name approved by the Election Board, see subsection (2), for the purpose of a new collection of voter declarations. Such approval can be extended as set out in the rules of subsection (4). A party can only start a new collection of voter declarations if so approved by the Election Board.


(13) Voter declarations collected for the purpose of filing an application for registration of a new party aiming to participate in European Parliament elections, see subsection (1), cannot be used for any other purposes.


(14) The Minister for the Interior and Health shall announce continuously in the digital system the number of voter declarations submitted for each individual party.