1st LD Writethru: Denmark's gov't expands to tripartite coalition

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced on Sunday to broaden his minority government to a tripartite coalition.

Rasmussen's ruling centre-right Liberal Party, or Venstre, with only 34 out of 179 seats in parliament, will now expand to include supporting parties, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives, to form a new government.

"We now have a platform we agree on, so Venstre, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives can build a tripartite government tomorrow," Rasmussen told a press conference at his Marienborg residence outside Copenhagen.

The three parties said they had agreed to cut tax on the wealthy and increase defense spending.

The new cabinet will be presented to Queen Margrethe II on Monday.

The three parties, with altogether 53 seats in parliament, will still have to depend on the support of the anti-immigration Danish People's Party to pass any legislation.

The four parties that comprise the "blue bloc" won the 2015 parliamentary election after beating the "red bloc", led by former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's Social Democratic Party.

The Liberal Alliance has been threatening to topple the government unless it cuts the top income tax bracket by five percentage points by the end of the year.

Rasmussen began talks with the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives a week ago in a bid to form a new government to avoid a snap election.

The Danish People's Party, which has made clear that it had no intention to join the government after last year's election, has opposed tax cuts in favor of more welfare spending. It was not invited to join the government. Endit