Denmark’s defense minister is on sick leave after the examination

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Denmark’s defense minister has taken an indefinite leave of absence after feeling unwell and going to a Copenhagen hospital for a medical check-up last week.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, 49, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, leads the Liberals, who are part of the ruling Danish three-party coalition.

He wrote on his Facebook page on February 1 that he had “dizziness and a headache” and had gone to a hospital “to be safe”. After the examination, he said he had “nothing serious to report and I’m fine”.

But he posted on Monday night that he’s “pulled the plug” and “will be back when I’m ready” after seeking advice from his doctor.

“I’ve been unusually busy for a long time. Now my body is sending a signal that it’s time to take a break,” Ellemann-Jensen wrote on Facebook.

A senior Liberal member, Troels Lund Poulsen, will temporarily take over the Ministry of Defense until Ellemann-Jensen can return. Another senior party member, Stephanie Lose, will lead the Liberals in Ellemann-Jensen’s absence.

On December 15 – after 42 days of talks following the November 1 general election – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented a tripartite majority coalition that bridges the left-right divide. It includes the centre-right Liberals, the centre-left Social Democrats and the centre-left Moderate Party, led by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is now Denmark’s foreign minister.

It was the first time in 44 years that such a centrist government was formed, putting an end to the two blocs that have been at odds for decades.

The three parties control 89 seats in the 179-seat parliament and are also supported by the four lawmakers representing the semi-independent Danish territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

On January 30, Ellemann-Jensen traveled with Frederiksen and Løkke Rasmussen on a one-day trip to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Associated Press

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