Executive power is exercised by the cabinet of Denmark (commonly known as "the Government", Danish: regeringen), presided over by the Prime Minister (statsminister) who is first among equals.

On many issues the political parties tend to opt for co-operation, and the Danish state welfare model receives broad parliamentary support.

This ensures a focus on public-sector efficiency and devolved responsibilities of local government on regional and municipal levels.

The degree of transparency and accountability is reflected in the public's high level of satisfaction with the political institutions, while Denmark is also regularly considered one of the least corrupt countries in the world by international organizations.

In accordance with the Danish Constitution the monarch as head of state is the theoretical source of all executive and legislative power.

On the basis of the advice, the monarch then appoints the party leader who commands a majority of recommendation to lead negotiations for forming a new government.

Ten parties are represented in parliament, while an additional three were qualified to contest the most recent 2019 general election but did not win any seats.

Enjoying the status of primus inter pares, the Prime Minister is head of the Danish government (as taken to mean the Cabinet).

The SPP left the government again in 2014, following heavy internal disagreement over the planned sale of state-owned shares in the company DONG (now known as Ørsted).

[13] Following the 2019 general election the Social Democrats, led by leader Mette Frederiksen, formed a single-party government with support from the left-wing coalition.

[15] In November 2022 general election, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats remained as the biggest party with two more seats, gaining its best result in two decades.

[19] That means that the number of cabinet positions and the organisation of the state administration into ministries are not set by law, but subject to change without notice.

The seventeen cabinet ministers hold different portfolios of duties, including the day-to-day role as head of one or more segments of the government departments.

In fact, the majority of civil servants work in executive agencies that are separate operational organizations reporting to the Minister.

Unlike normal civil servants, the communications staff is partisan and do not remain in their posts upon changes of government.

This is called negative parliamentarianism, as opposed to the principle of positive parliamentarianism—as in Germany and some other parliamentary systems—a government needs to achieve a majority through a vote of investiture in parliament.

[citation needed] It is due to the principle of negative parliamentarianism and its proportional representation system that Denmark has a long tradition of minority governments.

[24] This system enables minority parties to govern on specific issues through an ad hoc basis, selecting partners for support based on common interests instead of legislative need.

As a parliament, it is at the centre of the political system in Denmark, and is the supreme legislative body, operating within the confines of the constitution.

The government is answerable to parliament through the principle of parliamentary control (question hour, general debates and the passing of resolutions or motions).

Overall the election was a win for the "red bloc" – the parties that supported Mette Frederiksen, leader of the Social Democrats, as prime minister.

[28] The Social Democrats defended their position as the largest party, and won an additional seat despite a slightly reduced voter share.

Leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl speculated that the bad result was due to an extraordinary good election in 2015, and that some voters felt they could "gain [their] policy elsewhere".

[29] The Liberal Alliance saw their vote share fall by over two-thirds and became the smallest party in the Folketing, only 0.3pp above the 2% election threshold.

[43] However, since the constitution ensures the independence of the judiciary from Government and Parliament in providing that judges shall only take into account the laws of the country (i.e., acts, statutes and practices),[44] the procedure on appointments is only a formality.

[48] The Ombudsman frequently inspects places where citizens are deprived of their personal freedom, including prisons and psychiatric hospitals.

In the nineteenth century Greenland and the Faroe Islands were given the status of counties, and their own legislatures were disbanded, becoming integral parts of a unitary state.

In recent years, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been guaranteed a say in foreign policy issues, such as fishing, whaling and geopolitical concerns.

[55] There were several serious confrontations between the U.S. and Denmark on security policy in the so-called "footnote era" (1982–88), when an alternative parliamentary majority forced the government to adopt specific national positions on nuclear and arms control issues.

When they rejected ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on 2 June 1992, they put the EC's plans for the European Union on hold.