Danish MPs face mental health support debate post-election
The Speaker of the Folketing (Parliament) of Denmark, Soeren Gade, has proposed the idea of offering specialised psychological support to members of parliament who were not re-elected. This therapy would be funded with public money.
- Some of my colleagues have fallen into depression or a state similar to this illness after the last elections - Gade explained during an interview with the Danish public broadcaster, DR. He did not disclose the names of the parliament members involved.
The head of the Folketing described the parliament as a "strange workplace" where there is no care for politicians who lose their jobs. - In large corporations or municipal offices, there are programmes to help people leaving their posts against their will - he emphasised.
Gade's proposal is currently under discussion by the parliament's presidium and the rules committee. Offering departing politicians, for instance, eight sessions with a psychologist or an hour of consultation with a career advisor is being considered to help them in their future endeavours.
The idea of publicly funded support for politicians who failed to secure re-election has sparked debate in Denmark. A columnist for the newspaper "Berlingske," Aminata Corr Thrane, called the idea "ill-conceived" and said it was "bordering on absurdity."
- The lack of re-election is one of the fairest and most proper outcomes; it is the essence of democracy - she emphasised. She added that politicians rejected by voters do not constitute a vulnerable social group or a low-income group and can afford to pay for such therapy themselves.
Approx. £7,800 salary for a Danish member of parliament
The single-chamber Folketing consists of a total of 179 politicians from Denmark and Denmark's dependent territories: Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The last parliamentary elections took place in autumn 2022, and the next must be held no later than 2026.
The basic salary of a Danish member of parliament is 66,800 kroner (nearly £7,800). After leaving parliament, a politician is entitled to severance pay equal to six to 24 months of salary, depending on their tenure.
