folketingets

Folketinget is the national legislature of Denmark and the parliament of the Danish Realm, which includes Denmark proper as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is a unicameral body currently consisting of 179 members elected for four-year terms by proportional representation. Greenland and the Faroe Islands each elect MPs to the Folketing, contributing to the overall composition. General elections are held at regular intervals, but the government may call early elections within constitutional limits.

The primary functions of the Folketinget are to enact laws, approve the state budget, and supervise the government. Legislation can be proposed by the government or by members of the Folketinget. The parliament also holds ministers to account and can pass motions of no confidence, which may force a government to resign or seek dissolution. Day-to-day work is conducted in standing committees that examine bills, budgets, and governmental oversight before they reach the plenary chamber for debate and vote. Debates take place in the main chamber in Copenhagen, and a Speaker presides over proceedings.

Historically, the contemporary Danish parliamentary system has its roots in the 1849 constitution and was reshaped by the 1953 constitutional reform, which established the current unicameral Folketing. The body operates under a framework that balances representative democracy with parliamentary oversight, and it is central to the formation of government and the enactment of Danish law.