Danish Democrat expelled after voting for wind and solar project

A local politician from Denmark’s right-wing Danmarksdemokraterne party has been expelled after casting the deciding vote in favour of a renewable energy project that includes six 180-metre wind turbines and 40 hectares of solar panels, DR reports.

Lars Westergaard, a municipal councillor in Thy, approved the initiative on Wednesday evening, securing the necessary majority. Party leader Inger Støjberg announced his expulsion on Thursday, stating that opposition to such “iron mark” projects—referring to large-scale wind and solar installations—was a non-negotiable party line.

“When you represent Danmarksdemokraterne, credibility is everything, and there are very clear red lines that must not be crossed,” Støjberg wrote in a statement to DR. “One of those lines is voting for iron marks. A member of our council crossed that line last night. As a result, he has no future in our party and has been excluded as of today.”

Westergaard had described the vote as the “hardest decision of my life” but believed he could remain in the party. The leadership disagreed.