Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup

▪ 1994

      When Prime Minister Poul Schlüter was forced from office by Denmark's ongoing "Tamilgate" affair on Jan. 14, 1993, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the leader of the Social Democrats, was faced not only with the challenge of forming a new government but also with the task of overseeing Denmark's key second referendum on the Maastricht Treaty. Furthermore, the country had just taken over the European Community's rotating presidency.

      A scandal involving the illegal actions of the Ministry of Justice in preventing the immigration of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka brought to an end the 10-year rule of Schlüter's Conservative-Liberal minority government. In its place Rasmussen, who had never before held high public office, formed a four-party majority coalition, enlisting the support of the seven-member Radical Liberal Party—holder of the balance of power between socialist and nonsocialist parties for some 70 years. The new prime minister's Cabinet, expanded to 24 members to accommodate wide participation by all four partners in the coalition, included eight women.

      Before Rasmussen could turn his attention to the May 18 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, Denmark's currency became the object of market speculation that threatened the country's continued participation in the European exchange-rate mechanism. Surviving that crisis, Rasmussen began the task of persuading the Danish people (especially his own party, which had voted three to two against the referendum when it was narrowly defeated in June 1992) to approve a version of the treaty that now included special exemptions for Denmark. Promising tax reform if the referendum passed, Rasmussen called those who opposed it "raving mad." The referendum, voted upon by 86% of the electorate, passed easily, but two days of rioting in Copenhagen followed. The country had, in Rasmussen's words, "taken a step toward bringing Europe closer to ordinary citizens." Maastricht was still alive, and Denmark clearly had found a capable new leader.

      The son of an unskilled worker and a cleaner, Rasmussen was born on June 15, 1943, in Esbjerg, Den. He graduated from the University of Copenhagen with a degree in economics in 1971 and worked for the Danish Trade Union Council until 1986, becoming its chief economist in 1980. While serving as the managing director of the Employees Capital Pension Fund and as chairman of Lalandia Invest (1986-88), Rasmussen became deputy leader of the Social Democrats (1987) and a member of the Folketing, or parliament (1988). He served as the chairmen of the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, Industry and Shipping from 1988 until 1992, when he became the leader of his party. (JEFF WALLENFELDT)

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