Svend Auken

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Leader of the Social Democrats
Svend Auken
Svend Auken, 1998
In office 1987 – 1992
Preceded by	Anker Jørgensen
Succeeded by	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Member of Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 1971
Minister of Employment
In office 1 October 1977 – 10 September 1982
Preceded by	Erling Jensen
Succeeded by	Grethe Fenger Møller
Minister for the Environment
In office 25 January 1993 – 27 November 2001
Preceded by	Per Stig Møller
Succeeded by	Hans Christian Schmidt
Energy Minister
In office 27 September 1994 – 27 November 2001
Preceded by	Jann Sjursen
Succeeded by	Office Abolished

Born	24 May 1943 (1943-05-24) (age 65) Aarhus
Political party	Social Democratic Party

Svend (Gunnarsen) Auken [svɛn ˈɑʊ̯ˀg̊ŋ̩] (born 24 May 1943) is a Danish politician. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Aarhus and also taught there for a period in the very early 1970s. He has represented the Social Democrats as a member of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) since 1971.

He was Minister of Employment 1 October 1977 to 10 September 1982 in the Cabinet of Anker Jørgensen II, III, IV, and V

In 1987 Svend Auken succeeded Jørgensen as leader of the Danish Social Democrats, in opposition to the governments of Prime Minister Poul Schlüter. After making big gains in the 1990 general election, he was subsequently unable to put together a workable coalition, partly because of bad personal relations with prominent politicians in the traditional coalition party of the Social Democrats, Det Radikale Venstre (The Social Liberal Party of Denmark).

He was challenged in 1992 as leader of the Social Democrats by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, who went on to win the internal election. That gave Auken the dubious honour of being, at the time, the only Social Democratic leader of the 20th century to not become prime minister. Subsequently, this has happened to Mogens Lykketoft (leader from 2002-2005) as well.

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen went on to become Prime Minister of Denmark in 1993, and Auken served as Minister for the Environment 25 January 1993 - 27 September 1994 in the Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen I and Minister for the Environment and Energy 27 September 1994 to 27 November 2001 in the Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen II, III and IV.

After the defeat of the government of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen in the general election of 2001, Svend Auken has continued to serve as member of the Danish Parliament. Currently, he is the EU-affairs spokesman of his party, and he also keeps a high profile on environmental issues.

Svend Auken is generally acknowledged to be one of the most naturally gifted and charismatic Danish politicians of his generation, and he is sometimes referred to (by those who like him) as "the best Prime Minister Denmark never had".^{[citation needed]}

He was married to journalist and editor Bettina Heltberg 1966-1993. Today he is married to film director Anne Wivel. Children: David (1966), Adam (1968), Louise (1972), Jessica (1979).

Political offices
Preceded by Erling Jensen	Minister of Employment October 1, 1977 – September 10, 1982	Succeeded by Grethe Fenger Møller
Preceded by Per Stig Møller	Minister for the Environment January 25, 1993 – November 27, 2001	Succeeded by Hans Christian Schmidt
Preceded by Jann Sjursen	Energy Minister September 27, 1994 – November 27, 2001	Succeeded by Office abolished
Party political offices
Preceded by Anker Jørgensen	Leader of the Danish Social Democrats 1987 – 1992	Succeeded by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen