Denmark's centre-right Prime Minister has won a second term. Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Liberal-Conservative coalition won around 53 per cent of the votes. His victory was widely predicted after his crackdown on asylum-seekers and his popular tax cuts.

Addressing jubilant supporters Rasmussen said it was an historic occasion, as it is the first time a Liberal leader has been re-elected. The Liberals lost four seats in parliament but remained the biggest party.

The opposition, which enjoyed a last-minute surge of support, won around 46 per cent of ballots. The leader of the Social Democrats, Mogens Lykketoft, conceded defeat before the final results were announced.

He said he was sad that Danes would now have to live with a government propped by the Danish People's Party, the coalition's anti-immigration allies. Immigration dominated the brief campaign. Laws passed in 2002 have made it harder to bring foreign spouses into Denmark, and to qualify for asylum.

PHOTO CAPTION

Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen smiles while Mogens Lykketoft (L), top candidate of Denmark's Social Democratic Party, walks behind him following a TV debate at Copenhagen's parliament February 8, 2005. (REUTERS)