Danish ex-immigration minister voted out of parliament

Denmark's former immigration minister Inger Stojberg, 48, was voted out of parliament Tuesday after her rare impeachment and conviction for separating under-age couples seeking asylum in 2016.

Last week, Stojberg received a 60-day prison sentence, though it is unlikely she will serve any time, from a nearly unanimous impeachment court where 25 of 26 judges voted to remove her.

Hers was the first impeachment court conviction since 1995 and only the sixth in more than a century and a half. Stojberg is also the first member of parliament to be booted from the parliament in 30 years and only the fourth since 1953.

Who is Inger Stojberg?

Stojberg has styled herself as a champion of "Danish values" and remains a largely popular politician. She is facing recriminations after she deliberately ordered couples seeking asylum be separated if the woman was found to be under the age of 18.

She said she was protecting young girls. Most of the couples were found to be a few years of age apart.

Danish and human rights law are on the same page in that each individual case must be assessed on merit as unique rather than have blanket rules apply. In total, Stojberg oversaw the separation of 23 couples in 2016.

What happened during the vote?

A spokesman for the ruling Social Democrats, Jeppe Bruus, told parliament, "Mrs. Inger Stojberg's conviction at the impeachment court is incompatible with being a member of parliament."

Lawmakers from the Liberal Party, which she left in February, were among the 98 legislators who voted to remove her from parliament.

Karsten Lauritzen, the Liberal Party chair, said, "It is not compatible with being a member of the parliament to receive a prison sentence."

Eighteen lawmakers from the far-right Danish People's Party and the New Right were against pushing Stojberg out.

How did Stojberg react to the vote?

Stojberg told reporters after she was booted from office, waving as she was forced to exit the chambers: "I would rather be voted out by my colleagues here in parliament because I have tried to protect some girls than getting voted out by the Danish people because I have turned a blind eye."

"Do not expect this to be the last you hear from me," she vowed.

Stojberg served as minister from 2015 until 2019.

ar/sms (AFP, Reuters)