Uffe Elbæk

Uffe Elbæk
Member of the Folketing
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 September 2011
Constituency	Copenhagen
Political leader of the Alternative
In office 27 November 2013 – 1 February 2020
Succeeded by	Josephine Fock
Minister of Culture
In office 3 October 2011 – 6 December 2012
Prime Minister	Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded by	Per Stig Møller
Succeeded by	Marianne Jelved
Personal details
Born	(1954-06-15) 15 June 1954 (age 70) Ry, Denmark
Political party	The Alternative (2022–present)
Other political affiliations	Social Liberal Party (2011–2013) The Alternative (2013–2020) Independent (2020) Independent Greens (2020–2022)
Domestic partner	Jens Pedersen

Uffe Elbæk (born 15 June 1954) is a Danish politician, social worker, author, journalist, entrepreneur. In 2013 he founded the green political party The Alternative, which he led until February 2020. He is an independent member of the Folketing.

From 3 October 2011 to December 2012, he served as the Danish Minister of Culture. He was originally a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party, but left in September 2013 to launch The Alternative with Josephine Fock.^[1][2] Elbæk announced on 16 December 2019 that he would stand down as political leader of The Alternative on 1 February 2020. After leaving The Alternative's leadership, Elbæk subsequently left the party completely before joining with two other Alternative parliamentarians to form the new Independent Greens in September 2020.^[3] He was succeeded by Josephine Fock.^[4]

Early career

Born in Ry, Denmark, Elbæk is the founder and former Principal of the KaosPilots International School of New Business Design and Social Innovation, located in Aarhus. The KaosPilots school inspired the creation of several international schools located in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. He was also one of the initiators for the cultural entrepreneur-milieu called Frontløberne.^[5]

From 2007 to 2009, Elbæk served as the CEO of the 2009 World Outgames.^[6]

In July 2010, Elbæk founded the consulting company Change The Game with focus on leadership training skills, political campaigning and social innovation concepts.

Political career

Uffe Elbaek in a public meeting in 2012

Elbæk won a seat in the Folketing for the Danish Social Liberal Party in the 2011 Danish parliamentary election. On 3 October 2011 he was appointed Culture Minister of Denmark in the government cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt. He resigned his minister position in December 2012 after criticism for holding five official gatherings at the organization AFUK - Akademiet For Utæmmet Kreativitet, where he previously held a chairman post, and where his husband was employed. He was later acquitted of all charges by the national audit agency of Denmark which concluded he hadn't had a conflict of interest. The Ministry was instead criticized for some other facets related to the case.^[7]

The Alternative (2013–2020)

Uffe Elbæk election poster in the 2015 Danish general election

On 27 November 2013, Uffe Elbæk hosted a press conference where he announced the formation of a new "green" political party named The Alternative. The Party did not have a traditional political program, but wanted to develop it together with the citizens through so called "political laboratories".^[8]

In the spring of 2014, 20 political laboratories were conducted all over Denmark, where more than 700 citizens participated. Shortly after, on 24 May, the first crowdsourced political program became a reality.^[9] [Link to the first edition. Newest edition is here:^[10]] . The political program is updated regularly as the specific policies are developed through the political laboratories, and then verified and endorsed by the unit of political decision-makers in the Alternative, Politisk Forum (The Politic Forum).^[11]

On 23 February Uffe Elbæk made use of Twitter to break the news that The Alternative had gathered enough signatures to become eligible to take part in the forthcoming parliamentary election.^[12] This was officially confirmed and accepted by the Interior Ministry on 23 March, when the party was granted the acceptance on the electoral lists.

At the Parliamentary election on 18 June the Alternative obtained 4.8% of the votes (168,788), which gave them nine seats in the parliament. Uffe Elbæk received 18,796 personal votes, thereby attaining the 10th-most personal votes this election. He was nominated by the party to run for Prime Minister in the election, but lost to the leader of the Social Democrats, Mette Frederiksen.^[13][14]

In addition to Uffe Elbæk, the members of the parliamentary group of The Alternative are Carolina Maier, Josephine Fock, Christian Poll, Torsten Gejl, Rasmus Nordqvist, Ulla Sandbæk, Roger Matthisen and René Gade.^[15]

Independent Greens (2020–2022)

In March 2020, Elbæk along with Sikandar Siddique, Susanne Zimmer and Niko Grünfeld, left The Alternative after allegations that leader Josephine Fock had verbally abused members of the party. Fock had been elected succeed Elbæk in February. On 7 March, a slim majority in the central board gave Fock their support, with ten voting for and seven against.^[16] Following the decision, the party's local branch in Elbæk's constituency demanded that he publicly express full support of Fock, or they would withdraw their support of Elbæk.^[17] On 9 March, Elbæk left the party, saying he "no longer recognized" the party he founded.^[18]

The four formed the Independent Greens as a "responsible, climate-conscious and anti-racist party," and Siddique was elected leader.^[19]

In late November 2021, Elbæk, together with Katarina Ammitzbøll, aided former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui, who was under criminal investigation, to obtain a visa to leave Hong Kong. Hui used this opportunity to self-exile, as he announced shortly after arriving. Danish reports said that Hong Kong authorities would seek to have Ammitzbøll and Elbæk extradited.^[20][21]

Return to The Alternative (2022)

Ahead of the Next Danish general election, new Alternative leader Franciska Rosenkilde called for a united green list including The Alternative, the Independent Greens and the Vegan Party, as all three green parties were polling below the electoral threshold and there was a chance of no green representation in the Folketing.^[22] Siddique, however, dismissed the plan.^[23] Elbæk later called for the Independent Greens and Alternative to merge,^[24] and eventually rejoined the old party,^[25] reducing the number of sitting FG MPs to two.

Personal life

Elbæk is openly gay, and lives in a registered partnership with anthropologist Jens Pedersen, with whom he lives in Frederiksberg.^[26] Elbæk also has a son and a stepson from previous relationships. He is a member of LGBT Danmark and Amnesty International.^[27]

Views

Elbæk supports a universal basic income (UBI).^[28]

References

1. "Uffe Elbæk stifter nyt parti". 27 November 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
2. "Josephine Fock - The Alternative". Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
3. Stie, Hans-Henrik; Nielsen, Rasmus Dam; Redder, Hans (16 December 2019). "Uffe Elbæk stopper som politisk leder for Alternativet". TV2 (in Danish). Retrieved 16 December 2019.
4. Westersø, Rikke Struck (1 February 2020). "Alternativet går til landsmøde - hvem bliver Uffe Elbæks arvtager?". TV 2 (in Danish). Retrieved 1 February 2020.
5. "Frontloeberne". www.frontloberne.dk. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
6. "Play the Game supports World Outgames 2009". www.playthegame.org. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
7. "Avis: Rigsrevision frikender Uffe Elbæk i cirkussag". 20 March 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
8. "POLITISKE LABORATORIER - Alternativet". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
9. "The first political program 2014" (PDF).
10. "Partiprogram - Alternativet". Alternativet. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
11. "Politisk Forum - Alternativet". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
12. "Uffe Elbaek on Twitter". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
13. "2019 election result showing that Alternativet got 5 seats as supposed to Mette Frederiksen with 91". dr.dk.
14. "Her er valgets stemmeslugere - og dem færrest stemte på". 19 June 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
15. "Alternativets folketingsgruppe har fordelt ordførerskaberne - Alternativet". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
16. "Spinkelt flertal bakker op om Fock: Der er ikke fundet dokumentation for ruskeri". Politiken (in Danish). 7 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
17. "Baglandet truer Elbæk på hans politiske liv, og Fock siger, at Alternativet er i krise". Politiken (in Danish). Ritzau. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
18. "Uffe Elbæk forlader Alternativet - nu har partiet kun ét folketingsmedlem tilbage - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 9 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
19. "A radical new green party for Denmark – welcome to the Independent Greens (Frie Grønne)". 19 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
20. Leung, Christy (9 January 2021). "Police will investigate anyone who helps an offender flee, Hong Kong warns amid reports city is looking at prosecuting Danish politicians who aided wanted ex-lawmaker Ted Hui". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
21. Kwan, Rhoda (3 December 2020). "Democrat Ted Hui denies he is seeking asylum in Denmark despite facing charges in Hong Kong; family 'leaves city'". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
22. "Alternativet inviterer Frie Grønne og Grøn Alliance ind i partiet - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 26 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
23. "Frie Grønne-leder afviser at indgå i Alternativet - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 30 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
24. "Uffe Elbæk: Frie Grønne og Alternativet bør slå sig sammen". www.avisen.dk. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
25. "Uffe Elbæk har meldt sig ud af Frie Grønne, som han selv stiftede: Nu vil han tilbage i Alternativet | Seneste nyt". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 19 September 2022.
26. Kulturpiloten fylder 60 - Fødselsdag | www.b.dk
27. Her er ministrene medlemmer, 1. december, eb.dk
28. Downes, Amy; Lansley, Stewart (6 February 2018). "Introduction" (PDF). bristoluniversitypress.co.uk. Bristol University Press. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

External links

• Biography on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)
• Campaign website

Political offices
Preceded by None	Leader of The Alternative 2013–2020	Succeeded by Josephine Fock
Preceded by Per Stig Møller	Minister for Culture 2011–2012	Succeeded by Marianne Jelved