PES President, and former Prime Minister of Denmark, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, celebrated the achievement of his successor. Speaking from Denmark, having vigorously campaigned alongside Ms. Thorning-Schmidt, he stated that; “On a personal level I couldn’t be more delighted to see Helle make history tonight. As a proud Danish Citizen, I couldn’t be happier to see Denmark return to its progressive roots. Finally, in my capacity as President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) I see this result as a shining beacon to progressives all across Europe. In this time of crisis, the message tonight to all those who believe in fairness, justice and solidarity, is keep fighting, keep believing”.
PES General Secretary Philip Cordery stated that; “this result by Helle and our friends in the Danish Social Democrats is a great boost to all members of the PES family. As we head towards 2012 and elections in France, Italy, and perhaps, Germany, we can be sure that PES Members across the continent will be doubling their efforts to make Europe progressive again”.
