Denmark's opposition coalition wins 2015 parliamentary election

COPENHAGEN, June 19 -- Denmark's opposition coalition beat the incumbent center-left government in the 2015 parliamentary election on Thursday, official data showed.

With all votes counted, the center-right blue bloc led by former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen won 52.3 percent of the vote, while the ruling center-left red bloc headed by incumbent Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt gained 47.7 percent, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau.

The blue bloc garnered 90 seats, ensuring an absolute majority in the 179-member Danish parliament.

Thorning-Schmidt's Social Democratic Party harvested 26.3 percent of the vote and 47 seats, making it Denmark's single-largest party in the parliament.

The Liberal Party, known as Venstre in Danish and led by Rasmussen, has captured 19.5 percent of the vote and 34 seats. It however saw its support dropping 7.2 percent from the previous election in 2011, losing 13 seats.

Meanwhile, the far-right, euroskeptic Danish People's Party, headed by Kristian Thulesen Dahl, overtook the Liberals as Denmark's second largest with a remarkable 21.1 percent of the vote.

The blue bloc had agreed that Rasmussen will take the post as prime minister should the opposition coalition win.

Under Danish law, 175 of the 179 members to the Danish parliament will be elected in mainland Denmark, while two each will be elected from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which are autonomous territories of Denmark.