UPDATE 1-Denmark becomes third Nordic country to form leftist government this year

Denmark on Wednesday became the third Nordic country this year to form a leftist government after Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen finalised terms for a one-party minority government, making her the country's youngest-ever prime minister.

A bloc of five left-leaning opposition parties led by 41-year-old Frederiksen's Social Democratic Party won a majority in a June 5 election, prompting centre-right leader Lars Lokke Rasmussen to resign as prime minister. "It is with great pleasure I can announce that after three weeks of negotiations, we have a majority to form a new government," Frederiksen said.

While the leftist opposition bloc got a convincing majority, support for the Social Democratic Party declined slightly compared with the 2015 vote. But it remained the biggest party. Despite differences among left-leaning parties over issues such as welfare and immigration, Frederiksen got their backing to form a one-party minority government, a common arrangement in Denmark.

The election results signalled that Danish voters had rebelled against austerity measures, while dealing a blow to right-wing nationalists, who lost more than half of their votes compared with 2015. In Finland and Sweden, the Social Democratic parties formed governments earlier this year.