Denmark's King Frederik has asked caretaker Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to make a fresh attempt to form a government.
This comes after centre-right talks led by Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen broke down.
Frederiksen's Social Democrats remain Denmark's largest party despite heavy election losses.
Poulsen had been asked earlier to explore government options after Frederiksen's own coalition talks collapsed when the centrist Moderate Party walked away.
Frederiksen is likely to face pressure to make concessions to Moderate Party leader Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Her party won 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament, down from 50 in 2022, their worst result since 1903.
