Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician, Speaker of the Danish Parliament
Pia Merete Kjærsgaard (Danish pronunciation: [ˈpʰiːæ ˈkʰeˀɐ̯sˌkɒˀ]; born 23 February 1947) is a Danish politician who was Speaker of the Danish Parliament from 2015 to 2019, and former leader of the Danish People's Party.
She is a co-founder of the Danish People's Party, and led the party from its creation in 1995 to 2012. She previously led the Progress Party from 1985 until founding the People's Party in 1995. She has become one of the best-known politicians in Denmark during recent years, both for her consistent and vocal stance against multiculturalism and immigration, and for her parliamentary support for the center-right governments of Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Lars Løkke Rasmussen from 2001 to 2011. Her success has been an inspiration for anti-immigration and anti-Islamic movements throughout Europe.On 7 August 2012, Kjærsgaard announced her resignation from the leader position of the Danish People's Party. She appointed Kristian Thulesen Dahl as her successor, and he took office on 12 September 2012, promising to maintain the course laid out by Kjærsgaard.