Jakob Larsen did not enter the Folketing

National coach of the Greenlandic women's handball team Jakob Larsen did not manage to enter the Folketing this time.

He ended up with 1,200 personal votes, and although the party advanced on Funen, the mandate went to his party member, the 24-year-old student Anastasia Milthers, who received almost 2,400 personal votes.

A great 2nd place

Jakob Larsen is, however, the first alternate, and is thus first in line to take over the mandate if Anastasia Milthers at some point in the period seeks leave.

– As a sportsman, I am of course disappointed to end up in a great 2nd place, but I am also happy for my party colleague Anastasia Milthers. We had a common goal of regaining the Funen mandate that we lost in 2022, and we succeeded. It is just great, says Jakob Larsen.

There are also advantages to being on the other side of a grueling election campaign.

– Now I can concentrate on handball and my family, which I have not seen much of lately.

Greenland as a focal point

Jakob Larsen says that party chairman Martin Lidegaard called the day after the election and encouraged him to continue in politics. The party is the only one so far that has opened up for a rethinking of the realm.

"Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands should find a new model for close cooperation between three independent nations and, if necessary, dissolve the original commonwealth", this was the message during the election campaign.

For Jakob Larsen, it is precisely such thoughts that have drawn him to the Radical Left.

- It is a party that takes Greenland seriously. But I must also say that my experience now is that the commonwealth does not hold much sway among the Funen voters. It is more the classic radical issues that they vote for. So you cannot expect to be elected because you have Greenland as an issue, says Jakob Larsen, who will now spend the next few years considering whether to run again.

- I have gotten to know a lot of people from the political world, and I have gained a lot more knowledge about what politics is all about. In addition, I now know how to run an election campaign, and I have even got a TikTok profile. However, I think I'll just take a break from social media for now, says Jakob Larsen.

The Radical Left ended up with 10 seats in the Folketing, which is an increase of 3 seats compared to the last election.