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New Danish parliament speaker elected

Xinhua, July 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The former chairperson of the Danish People's Party (DPP) was elected as the speaker of the Danish Parliament on Friday.

Pia Kjaersgaard, 68, is to replace Mogens Lykketoft, who was recently confirmed to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 2015-2016 session.

The center-right coalition led by the Liberal Party leader Lars Loekke Rasmussen won the 2015 parliamentary election on June 18, where the DPP emerged as the second-largest party in parliament, paving the way for the first-ever female speaker of Denmark.

"I consider the duties of speaker of the parliament as a great honor. I will do everything I can to be a good and just chairperson for all parties," Kjaersgaard said.

Kjaersgaard's appointment for the role was backed by the center-right coalition, the Social Democrats party and Greenland's Siumut party.

She is widely acknowledged as a clear communicator but also a controversial politician, often accused of being a polarizing figure.

Kjaersgaard was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1984 for the erstwhile Progress Party, but broke with it in 1995 to set up the DPP with other like-minded politicians, including Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the incumbent leader of DPP.

The DPP made a surprising entry to parliament following the 2001 general elections, after which it staunchly supported the center-right coalition government led by then Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

That cooperation made Kjaersgaard one of the most influential politicians in Denmark, and led to an unprecedented tightening of immigration laws. Endit