Regional and Municipal Elections

Since 1 January 2007, Denmark has been divided into five regions and 98 municipalities. The regions are run by members of regional councils who are elected by people living in the regions that they represent. Municipalities are run by members of municipal councils.

Elections to municipal and regional councils are held every four years on the third Tuesday in November, as laid down in the Local Government Act.

Who can vote?

In order to be entitled to vote in municipal and regional elections, a person must be at least 18 years of age and have permanent residence in one of the municipalities or regions. Furthermore, to be entitled to vote a person must either:

• be a Danish citizen; or
• be a citizen of another EU member state, Iceland or Norway; or
• have had permanent residence in Denmark for three years before the date of the election.

Who can be elected?

Anybody who is entitled to vote in municipal and regional elections is also eligible for election to municipal and regional councils. However, a candidate must not have been convicted of an offence which makes him or her unworthy to be a member of such council.