A small socialist party today quit Denmark's coalition government amid discord over plans to sell a stake in state-controlled Dong Energy to Goldman Sachs and other investors.
The other two parties in the center-left government back the sale but the Socialist People's Party was split on the issue.
After more than a year of infighting, party leader Annette Vilhelmsen resigned today and the party withdrew its six ministers from the 23-member Cabinet.
The move weakens Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's coalition but she said it would stay in power as a two-party minority government because it still has the support of the socialists in Parliament.
Later today, Parliament's Finance Committee approved the sale of a 19 per cent stake in Dong Energy to Goldman Sachs for 8 billion kroner (USD 1.5 billion).
The deal is intended to boost the ailing finances of Dong Energy, Denmark's largest energy company.
