Uffe Elbæk

Uffe Elbæk (born 15 June 1954 in Ry) 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.

Uffe Elbæk
Member of the Folketing
Assumed office
15 September 2011
ConstituencyCopenhagen
Political leader of the Alternative
In office
27 November 2013 – 1 February 2020
Succeeded byJosephine Fock
Minister for Culture
In office
3 October 2011 – 6 December 2012
Prime MinisterHelle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded byPer Stig Møller
Succeeded byMarianne Jelved
Personal details
Born (1954-06-15) 15 June 1954
Ry, Denmark
Political partySocial Liberal Party
(2011–2013)
The Alternative
(2013–2020)
Independent
(2020)
Independent Greens
(2020–present)
Domestic partnerJens Pedersen

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

Uffe 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
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]

Personal life

Elbæk is openly gay, and lives in a registered partnership with anthropologist Jens Pedersen, with whom he lives in Frederiksberg.[16] Elbæk also has a son and a stepson from previous relationships. He is a member of LGBT Danmark and Amnesty International.[17]

References
  1. "Uffe Elbæk stifter nyt parti". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  2. "Josephine Fock - The Alternative". 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". 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". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  15. "Alternativets folketingsgruppe har fordelt ordførerskaberne - Alternativet". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  16. Kulturpiloten fylder 60 - Fødselsdag | www.b.dk
  17. Her er ministrene medlemmer, 1. december, eb.dk
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
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