Elections in parish councils are mostly uncontested
Only few elections to parish councils
Gislev Kirke, Diocese of Funen. Credit: Stork/Wikimedia Commons.
November 8, 2016 was an important date for Danish parish councils. It was election day. Every 4 years there are elections to the 1699 parish councils in Denmark when approximately around 13000 members are newly appointed or re-elected. But since 95 % percent of the elections were uncontested elections, the election took place only in 52 parishes.
Despite a decent turnout of 15.3%, some critics consider it an alarming sign that only few people still care about the church and parish council elections.
Inge Kjær Andersen, a member of the central board in the Danish Union of Parish Councils disagrees by saying that:
"Danes are quite content with the way their local church runs. The church is there when you need it as a framework around life’s great moments and questions. The current lack of administrative supporters within the parish council does not necessarily mean that there is a lack of interest in the church as such."
