Turmoil as Newly Elected Parliament Members Are Excluded

Two newly elected members of the Danish Parliament have been excluded from their respective parties within days of their election.

Jacob Harris was elected to the Folketing for Borgernes Parti on Tuesday. By Friday, he requested leave, and on Saturday he was excluded from the party. According to a statement on the party’s Facebook profile, the explanation is that Harris, in the party’s view, violated the declaration of truth he had signed, failed to provide truthful information to the party, and repeatedly acted contrary to the party’s values.

It has previously been reported that the Moderates offered Mike Fonseca money to leave the Folketing so the party could regain his mandate after he was excluded from his party. Borgernes Parti has stated that it will not engage in a similar arrangement. The party said that Jacob Harris had been informed of this position and added: “What he does now must be up to his conscience.”

On Thursday, the media outlet Finans reported that a trustee accuses Harris of being behind misuse of funds in a bankrupt family company. On Friday, Harris announced that he would take leave from the Folketing. He told DR that he will continue in parliament as an independent: “I will make my influence count as an independent. This is not my own choice. My door is open if Borgernes Parti changes its mind.”

At the same time, Liberal Alliance announced on Saturday that it has excluded newly elected member Cecilie Liv Hansen due to “incorrect information of a significant nature,” according to several Danish media outlets, including dr.dk.

In a Facebook post, Cecilie Liv Hansen wrote: “I have resigned from Liberal Alliance.” She continued that after repeated rumors and empty accusations circulating about her, she had been encouraged by the party to hand over her mandates. She stated that many of the rumors are untrue, but that certain matters concerning her partner have been correct. She added that she chose to resign from the party earlier that day following the party’s request.

She further wrote that she is surprised that “matters which do not concern my actions and me as a person should form the basis for this. In my view, this is in no way fair.”