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{{short description|Danish politician}}
[[image:Holger K. Nielsen.jpg|thumb|200px|Holger K. Nielsen]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Holger K. Nielsen
| image = Holger Kirkholm Nielsen.jpg
|
| office = [[List of Minister of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start = 12 December 2013
| term_end = 30 January 2014
| office1 = [[Minister for Taxation (Denmark)|Minister for Taxation]]
| primeminister1= Helle Thorning-Schmidt
| term_start1 = 16 October 2012
| term_end1 = 12 December 2013
| primeminister = [[Helle Thorning-Schmidt]]
| predecessor = [[Villy Søvndal]]
| predecessor1 = Thor Möger Pedersen
| successor = [[Martin Lidegaard]]
| successor1 = [[Jonas Dahl]]
| prior_term =
| order2 =
| office2 = Leader of the [[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Socialist People's Party]]
| term_start2 = 1991
| term_end2 = 2005
| predecessor2 = [[Gert Petersen]]<!--Can be repeated up to eight times by changing the number-->
| successor2 = [[Villy Søvndal]]<!--Can be repeated up to eight times by changing the number-->
| constituency2 = <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by changing the number-->
| majority2 = <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by changing the number-->
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1950|04|23}}
| birth_name= Holger Kirkholm Nielsen
| birth_place = [[Ribe]], Denmark
| party = [[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Socialist People's]]
}}


'''Holger Kirkholm Nielsen''' (born [[23 April]] [[1950]]) is a [[Denmark|Danish]] [[politician]], member of the Danish parliament ([[Folketinget]]) for the [[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Socialist People's Party]]. He became leader of the Socialist People's Party in [[1991]] at a time when the party was going through some major ideological soul-searching following the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe. The opposing candidate for the party leadership had been [[Sten Gade]], a self-styled moderniser intent on reforming the party in ways which the majority found too radical. Holger K. Nielsen was considered a 'safer' choice in the eyes of the party's old guard, and thus assumed the leadership allied to the more leftist elements in his party.
'''Holger Kirkholm Nielsen''', known as '''Holger K. Nielsen''' (born 23 April 1950), is a [[Danes|Danish]] politician, member of the [[Folketing]] for the [[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Socialist People's Party]]. He was Denmark's [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] for 49 days from December 2013 through January 2014. He was the leader of the Socialist People's Party from 1991 to 2005 and served as the [[Minister for Taxation (Denmark)|Minister for Taxation]] from 2012 to 2013.


Born at [[Ribe]], Nielsen studied social science and [[Danish language|Danish]] at the [[University of Aarhus]] from 1973 to 1979, and in 1978 at the [[University of Belgrade]].<ref name=bb>Lene Koogi (11 December 2013) [http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Politik/2013/12/11/230420.htm Holger K. Nielsen napper sin anden ministerpost] [[Danmarks Radio]]. Retrieved 14 December 2013 {{in lang|da}}</ref>
Among the policies that had to be addressed was the party's approach to European integration. Having opposed membership of the [[European Community|EC]] ([[EU]]) in 1972, and then campaigned against ratification of the [[Single European Act]] in 1986, the party had by the late 1980's grudgingly reconciled itself to Danish membership, dropping the demand for withdrawal in 1990. However when the [[Maastricht Treaty]] came up for approval by referendum in 1992 the party remained true to its roots and recommended a 'NO' vote. Holger K. Nielsen became one of the leaders in this campaign, and was later judged to have swung far more than his own socialist voters towards the NO-side, which to great surprise emerged victorious by a wafer-thin margin. The following year, however, he reversed that position, recommending acceptance of the Maastricht Treaty, supplemented with the [[four Danish opt-outs]]. This decision came close to tearing the party apart, with some 60% of its voters remaining opposed, but this time the yes-side prevailed.


==Political career==
During the years of the [[Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen|Poul Nyrup Rasmussen governments]] (1993-2001), Holger K. Nielsen managed to take the Socialist People's Party closer to the mainstream of Danish politics, positioning the party as a slightly-more-leftist alternative to the ruling [[Social Democrats (Denmark)|Social Democrats]]. During this time the party entered into several major compromises with the government in many policy areas, including several state finance bills. However close the socialists moved to the government, though, they never quite became acceptable as coalition partners, much to the chagrin of Holger K. Nielsen. A real popular breakthrough also never materialised, despite the leader's high media profile. The party lost seats in both the [[1994 Danish parliamentary election|1994]] and [[2001 Danish parliamentary election|2001 election]]s, only managing to hold on in the [[1998 Danish parliamentary election|1998 election]].
{{POV section|date=April 2018}}
He was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1987.<ref name=dsd>[http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Danmarks_geografi_og_historie/Danmarks_historie/Danmark_efter_1945/Holger_Kirkholm_Nielsen Holger K. Nielsen] [[Den Store Danske Encyklopædi|Den Store Danske]] (online). Retrieved 14 December 2013 {{in lang|da}}</ref> He became leader of the Socialist People's Party in 1991<ref name=dsd/> at a time when the party was going through some major ideological soul-searching following the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe. The opposing candidate for the party leadership was [[Steen Gade]],<ref name=dsd/> a self-styled moderniser intent on reforming the party in ways which the majority found too radical. Holger K. Nielsen was considered a 'safer' choice in the eyes of the party's old guard, and thus assumed the leadership allied to the more leftist elements in his party.


Among the policies that had to be addressed was the party's approach to European integration. Having opposed membership of the [[European Community|EC]] ([[European Union|EU]]) in 1972, and then campaigned against ratification of the [[Single European Act]] in 1986, the party had by the late 1980s grudgingly reconciled itself to Danish membership, dropping the demand for withdrawal in 1990. However, when the [[Maastricht Treaty]] came up for approval by [[1992 Danish Maastricht Treaty referendum|referendum in 1992]], the party remained true to its roots and recommended a 'NO' vote. Holger K. Nielsen became one of the leaders in this campaign,<ref name=dsd/> and was later judged to have swung far more than his own socialist voters towards the NO-side, which to great surprise emerged victorious by a wafer-thin margin. The following year, however, he reversed that position, recommending acceptance of the Maastricht Treaty, supplemented with the [[Opt-outs in the European Union#Additional Danish opt-outs|four Danish opt-outs]]. This decision came close to tearing the party apart, with some 60% of its voters remaining opposed, but this time the yes-side prevailed.
Whatever the party's success in shoring up the centre-left governments of the 1990's, it is for his handling of the European issue that Holger K. Nielsen will be remembered. The party remained in the sceptic camp during the [[Amsterdam Treaty referendum (Denmark )|1998 referendum campaign]] for the [[Amsterdam Treaty]], a move which prompted several prominent pro-Europeans, such as [[Sten Gade]] and [[Christine Antorini]], to leave politics. Again in 2000, when the issue was Denmark entering the [[Economic and Monetary Union]], the Socialists were in the forefront of the succesful NO-campaign, with Holger K. Nielsen taking a prominent lead. However later that same year, flush with victory and riding high in the opinion polls, Holger K. Nielsen performed one of the more spectacular U-turns in modern Danish political history, when he made his party endorse the [[Nice Treaty]], thus making a referendum avoidable. This was the opening shot in a campaign to turn the formerly EU-sceptic party into pro-Europeans, a proces that culminated in late 2004, with the party's rank-and-file following Holger K. Nielsen's advice, and endorsing a pro-ratification stance towards the EU's Draft Constitution.


During the years of the [[Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (disambiguation)|Poul Nyrup Rasmussen governments]] (1993–2001), Holger K. Nielsen managed to take the Socialist People's Party closer to the mainstream of Danish politics, positioning the party as a slightly more leftist alternative to the ruling [[Social Democrats (Denmark)|Social Democrats]]. During this time the party entered into several major compromises with the government in many policy areas, including several state finance bills. However close the socialists moved to the government, though, they never quite became acceptable as coalition partners, much to the chagrin of Holger K. Nielsen. A real popular breakthrough also never materialised, despite the leader's high media profile. The party lost seats in both the [[1994 Danish parliamentary election|1994]] and [[2001 Danish parliamentary election|2001 election]]s, only managing to hold on in the [[1998 Danish parliamentary election|1998 election]].
Following the [[2001 Danish parliamentary election|election in 2001]] of a [[Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I|liberal-conservative coalition]], the Socialist People's Party found themselves pushed to the margins of Danish politics, rarely able to influence events. Their response was to move towards the left in most policy areas, a move which only separated them even more from the mainstream, and which seemed to have only limited appeal to the public. In foreign policy the party was also adrift, only being able to unite around a strident anti-Americanism.


The party was successful in shoring up the centre-left governments of the 1990s. The party remained in the sceptic camp during the [[Amsterdam Treaty referendum (Denmark)|1998 referendum campaign]] for the [[Amsterdam Treaty]], a move which prompted several prominent pro-Europeans, such as [[Steen Gade]] and [[Christine Antorini]], to leave politics. Again in 2000, when the issue was Denmark entering the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union|Economic and Monetary Union]], the Socialists were in the forefront of the successful NO-campaign, with Holger K. Nielsen taking a prominent lead. However, later that same year, riding high in the opinion polls, Holger K. Nielsen performed a spectacular U-turn and made his party endorse the [[Nice Treaty]], thus making a referendum avoidable. This was the opening shot in a campaign to turn the formerly EU-sceptic party into pro-Europeans, a process that culminated in late 2004, with the party's rank-and-file following Holger K. Nielsen's advice, and endorsing a pro-ratification stance towards the EU's Draft Constitution.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
Following yet another [[2005 Danish parliamentary election|election defeat in 2005]], Holger K. Nielsen resigned as party leader, leaving behind a party which, having moved away from the mainstream in such vital areas as asylum/immigration/integration and management of the economy, and having abandoned its distinctive policy of EU-scepticism, was possibly in even harder search for a raison d'etre than the one he took over.


Following the [[2001 Danish parliamentary election|election in 2001]] of a [[Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I|liberal-conservative coalition]], the Socialist People's Party found themselves in opposition.
{{start box}}
After the [[2005 Danish parliamentary election|2005 parliamentary election]], Holger K. Nielsen resigned as party leader.<ref name=dsd/>
{{succession box|

When [[Annette Vilhelmsen]] became the new leader of the party in October 2012, Nielsen, who had been a strong supporter of Vilhelmsen's candidacy, was named new [[Minister for Taxation of Denmark|Minister of Taxation]] in the [[Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet|Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt]].<ref name=dsd/> He later became the [[List of Foreign ministers of Denmark|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] in the same cabinet until 30 January 2014, when the Socialist People's Party left the coalition and the [[Thorning-Schmidt II Cabinet]] was inaugurated.

Nielsen is in his second marriage and has four children, two from each of the marriages.<ref name=bb/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{ft.dk link}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{Succession box|
title=[[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Leader of the Danish Socialist People's Party]]|
title=[[Socialist People's Party (Denmark)|Leader of the Danish Socialist People's Party]]|
before=[[Gert Petersen]]|
before=[[Gert Petersen]]|
years=[[1991]] &ndash; [[2005]]|
years=1991–2005|
after=[[Villy Søvndal]]
after=[[Villy Søvndal]]
}}
}}
{{end box}}
{{s-off}}
{{Succession box|
title=[[Minister for Taxation of Denmark]]|
before=[[Thor Möger Pedersen]]|
years=2012–2013|
after=[[Jonas Dahl]]
}}
{{Succession box|
title=[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]|
before=[[Villy Søvndal]]|
years=2013–2014 |
after=[[Martin Lidegaard]]
}}
{{S-end}}


{{Navbox with collapsible groups
|name =
|state = collapsed
|title = Members of the [[Folketing]]
|list1 = {{Folketing members 2015–2019}}
|list2 = {{Folketing members 2011–2015}}
|list3 = {{Folketing members 2007–2011}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
==References==
[http://www.ft.dk/BAGGRUND/Biografier_english/Holger_K_Nielsen.htm CV] - From [[Folketinget]].

{{Denmark-bio-stub}}

[[Category:Danish politicians|Nielsen, Holger Kirkholm]]
[[Category:1950 births|Nielsen, Holger Kirkholm]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Holger Kirkholm}}
[[da:Holger K. Nielsen]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Belgrade Faculty of Political Science alumni]]
[[Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Denmark]]
[[Category:People from Ribe]]
[[Category:Ministers for taxation of Denmark]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1981–1984]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1987–1988]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1988–1990]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1990–1994]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1994–1998]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 1998–2001]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 2001–2005]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 2005–2007]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 2007–2011]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 2011–2015]]
[[Category:Members of the Folketing 2015–2019]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Socialist People's Party (Denmark)]]

Latest revision as of 05:29, 29 March 2025

Holger K. Nielsen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
12 December 2013 – 30 January 2014
Prime MinisterHelle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded byVilly Søvndal
Succeeded byMartin Lidegaard
Minister for Taxation
In office
16 October 2012 – 12 December 2013
Prime MinisterHelle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded byThor Möger Pedersen
Succeeded byJonas Dahl
Leader of the Socialist People's Party
In office
1991–2005
Preceded byGert Petersen
Succeeded byVilly Søvndal
Personal details
Born
Holger Kirkholm Nielsen

(1950-04-23) 23 April 1950 (age 75)
Ribe, Denmark
Political partySocialist People's

Holger Kirkholm Nielsen, known as Holger K. Nielsen (born 23 April 1950), is a Danish politician, member of the Folketing for the Socialist People's Party. He was Denmark's Minister for Foreign Affairs for 49 days from December 2013 through January 2014. He was the leader of the Socialist People's Party from 1991 to 2005 and served as the Minister for Taxation from 2012 to 2013.

Born at Ribe, Nielsen studied social science and Danish at the University of Aarhus from 1973 to 1979, and in 1978 at the University of Belgrade.[1]

Political career

[edit]

He was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1987.[2] He became leader of the Socialist People's Party in 1991[2] at a time when the party was going through some major ideological soul-searching following the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe. The opposing candidate for the party leadership was Steen Gade,[2] a self-styled moderniser intent on reforming the party in ways which the majority found too radical. Holger K. Nielsen was considered a 'safer' choice in the eyes of the party's old guard, and thus assumed the leadership allied to the more leftist elements in his party.

Among the policies that had to be addressed was the party's approach to European integration. Having opposed membership of the EC (EU) in 1972, and then campaigned against ratification of the Single European Act in 1986, the party had by the late 1980s grudgingly reconciled itself to Danish membership, dropping the demand for withdrawal in 1990. However, when the Maastricht Treaty came up for approval by referendum in 1992, the party remained true to its roots and recommended a 'NO' vote. Holger K. Nielsen became one of the leaders in this campaign,[2] and was later judged to have swung far more than his own socialist voters towards the NO-side, which to great surprise emerged victorious by a wafer-thin margin. The following year, however, he reversed that position, recommending acceptance of the Maastricht Treaty, supplemented with the four Danish opt-outs. This decision came close to tearing the party apart, with some 60% of its voters remaining opposed, but this time the yes-side prevailed.

During the years of the Poul Nyrup Rasmussen governments (1993–2001), Holger K. Nielsen managed to take the Socialist People's Party closer to the mainstream of Danish politics, positioning the party as a slightly more leftist alternative to the ruling Social Democrats. During this time the party entered into several major compromises with the government in many policy areas, including several state finance bills. However close the socialists moved to the government, though, they never quite became acceptable as coalition partners, much to the chagrin of Holger K. Nielsen. A real popular breakthrough also never materialised, despite the leader's high media profile. The party lost seats in both the 1994 and 2001 elections, only managing to hold on in the 1998 election.

The party was successful in shoring up the centre-left governments of the 1990s. The party remained in the sceptic camp during the 1998 referendum campaign for the Amsterdam Treaty, a move which prompted several prominent pro-Europeans, such as Steen Gade and Christine Antorini, to leave politics. Again in 2000, when the issue was Denmark entering the Economic and Monetary Union, the Socialists were in the forefront of the successful NO-campaign, with Holger K. Nielsen taking a prominent lead. However, later that same year, riding high in the opinion polls, Holger K. Nielsen performed a spectacular U-turn and made his party endorse the Nice Treaty, thus making a referendum avoidable. This was the opening shot in a campaign to turn the formerly EU-sceptic party into pro-Europeans, a process that culminated in late 2004, with the party's rank-and-file following Holger K. Nielsen's advice, and endorsing a pro-ratification stance towards the EU's Draft Constitution.[citation needed]

Following the election in 2001 of a liberal-conservative coalition, the Socialist People's Party found themselves in opposition. After the 2005 parliamentary election, Holger K. Nielsen resigned as party leader.[2]

When Annette Vilhelmsen became the new leader of the party in October 2012, Nielsen, who had been a strong supporter of Vilhelmsen's candidacy, was named new Minister of Taxation in the Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt.[2] He later became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the same cabinet until 30 January 2014, when the Socialist People's Party left the coalition and the Thorning-Schmidt II Cabinet was inaugurated.

Nielsen is in his second marriage and has four children, two from each of the marriages.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Lene Koogi (11 December 2013) Holger K. Nielsen napper sin anden ministerpost Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 14 December 2013 (in Danish)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Holger K. Nielsen Den Store Danske (online). Retrieved 14 December 2013 (in Danish)
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Danish Socialist People's Party
1991–2005 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Taxation of Denmark
2012–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holger_K._Nielsen&oldid=1282882070"