[6] The following day, the parliamentary group unanimously elected him as political leader until the party congress on 26 September 2014.

[9] On 15 August 2022, Pape Poulsen, with the Conservatives at some of their highest polling in years, declared he was going into the 2022 election as a candidate for the prime minister position.

[13] On 10 August 2014, Pape Poulsen came out as gay, simultaneously announcing his relationship with Josué Medina Vásquez, originally from the Dominican Republic.

He had collapsed the day before during a meeting of the party's executive committee in Vejen, and died after being taken to Odense University Hospital.

In a statement on the party's website, announcing the death to the public, Vandsø paid tribute to Pape Poulsen: He collapsed in the midst of what he dedicated his life to.

[19][20]Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum, including Kristian Thulesen Dahl, Pelle Dragsted, Mette Frederiksen, Ulf Kristersson, Roberta Metsola, Troels Lund Poulsen, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Erna Solberg, Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Ulrik Wilbek.

Question time on 12 March was cancelled at the request of the Conservatives, and replaced with a memorial service in the Folketing.