The anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP) agreed Thursday to abandon a closely-fought mayoral campaign in suburban Copenhagen if the current mayor promised to serve more pork meatballs in public canteens.
After municipal elections on Tuesday in the town of Hvidovre, just south of the capital, the DPP's candidate Mikkel Dencker looked to be on his way to victory.
But after a day of wrangling, Dencker agreed to let the ruling Social Democrat mayor keep her job -- if she agreed to serve more traditional Danish fare in canteens, and bring back the town's official Christmas tree.
"Things like open-faced sandwiches, minced meat, Danish roast pork and meatballs... The main rule is that traditional Danish food should be served," Dencker told AFP.
Dencker had campaigned on a promise to bring back traditional Danish meatballs known as "frikadeller" after claiming that Denmark was "losing its identity" when some public nurseries removed them from the menu.
Thursday's deal did not include an outright ban on halal-slaughtered meat in public institutions such as hospitals and nurseries, which the DPP has also campaigned for.
With a sluggish Danish economy helping the party have a strong showing in Tuesday's local elections, the DPP became the second largest party in Hvidovre after the Social Democrats.
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