Head of Denmark's once-dominant far-right party steps down after election setback

FILE PHOTO: Kristian Thulesen Dahl, leader of Danish People's Party, arrives to vote at his local polling station during the general elections in Thyregod, Denmark June 5, 2019. Claus Fisker/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The head of the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP), once a dominant force in Danish politics and in the vanguard of a populist surge across Europe, said on Wednesday he would step down following disappointing results in local elections.

The elections held on Tuesday were also a disappointment for the ruling Social Democratic Party, popular for its early lockdowns in the coronavirus pandemic but facing an investigation into its handling of an illegal mink cull last year.