Between 2005 and 2015, he represented the Red-Green Alliance in the Folketing.
In March 2023, he provided himself as the lead candidate for the Red-Green Alliance to the 2024 European Parliament election, and it was later announced that he would become the lead candidate.[1][2]
Life
Per Clausen is the son of painter Frede Aage Clausen and laundry owner Grethe Clausen.[3] He was born in Norway, but grew up in multiple places located in Jutland, and ended in Aalborg and took Danish exam in 1972 from Poul Paghsgades Skole.
Through time, he's had multiple occupations. Examples being, factory worker, car mechanic, laundry ower, teacher and trade unionist.[4][5]
Work in trade unions
Since his youth, Per Clausen has been polticially active in the trade unions and on the Danish Left-wing.
He began in the 1970s as a member of the Danish General Workers' Union-factory youth, and has since taken on multiple position of trust in the trade unions. In 1994, he was elected as trade unionist for Dansk Magisterforening.[6]
Member of parliament
In 2005, he was elected to the Folketing for the Red-Green Alliance, in the North Jutland County constituency. Here he represented the party until 2015, where he was barred from another parliament term due to the rotation princip of the Red-Green Alliance.[7][8] In the period of his parliamentary career, he was among other things, the party's EU-spokesperon, environmental-spokesperson, health-spokesperson and group-leader for the parliamentary group.[9] Between 2014 and 2015 he was a member of the parliaments bureau.
Per Clausen has been described as being a diligent MP and has on multiple occasions, earned the title as the most pertinacious question-raiser of the § 20-spørgsmål i n the Folketing. In 2008, LGBT Danmark named him politician of the year, citing his work to secure rights for gay, bisexual. and trans people.[10][11]
Byrådsmedlem og rådmand i Aalborg Kommune
Per Clausen resied in Aalborg, where he, since 2013, has been a member of the Aalborg Municipal council.[12] Per Clausen was the lead candidate for the Red-Green Alliance in the municipal council election in 2013, and was at the time a part of winning the party's three seats in a city, where the party had never won representation before. During the 2021 election, he received 2,312 personal votes, which was the fifth highest.
He was also elected in 2017.[13] og 2021.[14] He has been the municipality's councilor for Climate and Engery since 2022.[15][16] Allerede i slutningen af 2021 var Clausen fungerende rådmand, da rådmand Lasse Olsen var sygemeldt.[17]
Clausen has been a member of the board of directors in the Kommunernes Landsforening since 8 March 2018.[18][19]
Parliamentary career
Red-Green Alliances candidate in Aarhus East from 2007, in Aalborg East 2002–2007, in Frederiksborg County constituency 2000–2002, in North Jutland County constituency 1989–2000. Left Socialists candidate North Jutland County constituency 1977–1988.