Moderate independence movement wins elections in Greenland

Demokraatit, a liberal party that advocates a gradual independence from the Kingdom of Denmark, won Tuesday’s elections in Greenland with around 30% of the vote. The list led by Jens-Frederik Nielsen, a 33-year-old badminton player, surprised everyone by garnering more than triple the votes obtained four years ago. The second-highest-voted party was Naleraq, a populist and radically pro-independence party that advocates beginning the self-determination process as soon as possible. The two parties in the current governing coalition, the leftist Inuit Ataqatigiit and the social democratic Siumut, have plummeted, losing almost half of their seats.

The elections on the planet’s largest island, which have generated unprecedented international media attention, have been deeply influenced by Donald Trump’s threats. In recent months, the U.S. president has expressed his intention to annex this autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a land of enormous geostrategic value, vast natural resources, and just 57,000 inhabitants.

Five of the six parties that ran in the elections support secession from the Danish kingdom. The main differences lie in when and how to initiate the break with Denmark. The Statute of Autonomy, approved in a referendum in 2009, provides for the right to self-determination. If a majority in the Inatsisartut (Greenlandic Parliament) were to vote in favor of activating the independence process, an agreement would first have to be reached with Copenhagen on how the separation would take place; then, Greenlanders would have to approve it in a referendum; and finally, approval by the Danish Parliament would be necessary.

Demokraatit (The Democrats) advocates for Greenland to become an independent state and a new member of the United Nations, but does not set a date and believes that many steps still need to be taken before the self-determination process can begin. The island—about 50 times the size of mainland Denmark—is economically dependent on Copenhagen, which sends an annual subsidy equivalent to more than €500 million, representing around half of Greenland’s public budget. The party that won the election maintains that for an independent Greenland’s economy to be viable, mining (there are only two active mines), hydrocarbon extraction, and tourism must first be developed.

Naleraq, a party that advocates the immediate severance of all ties with Denmark and which during the election campaign advocated signing a free association agreement with the United States in exchange for economic support and security, garnered nearly 25% of the vote, more than double the figure from four years ago. The party led by Pele Broberg, a businessman and pilot, comfortably led the count for much of the early morning. It swept many of the smaller settlements, but obtained much more modest results in Nuuk, the capital, and the rest of the major towns. Qulleq, the only party that, together with Naleraq, is committed to secession from Denmark, received little more than 1% of the vote and will not be represented in the House.

Inuit Ataqatigiit, the green and left-wing party of Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede, who turned 38 this Tuesday, came in third with just over 20% of the vote, compared to 36% in 2021. Its governing partner, the Social Democrat Siumut, performed even worse, garnering only 15% of the vote, half of what it did four years ago. Tuesday’s elections were the first to be won by neither Siumut nor Inuit Ataqatigiit, the only two parties to have led governments so far on the gigantic Arctic island.

Atassut, the only Greenlandic party that supports maintaining the union with Denmark, finished in fifth place with 7% of the vote, a very similar result to that of 2021.

At the conclusion of the vote count, at 3.30 a.m. local time, Nielsen, the leader of Demokraatit, declared to Greenlandic television that he will hold talks with all parties to form a government. Asked specifically about Naleraq, he said that he could not leave aside a list which obtained one out of four votes. The winner of the elections underlined that it is essential to adopt a “calm strategy” towards the United States and that it is necessary to “start building a base” before being able to talk about the creation of an independent state.

Demokraatit will have 10 of Inatsisartut’s 31 seats. If it were to add the support of the eight Naleraq MPs, or the seven Inuit Ataqatigiit MPs, it would reach the majority needed to govern. Shortly after the final results were known, Prime Minister Egede extended his hand to Nielsen in a Facebook post.

Greenland was a Danish colony from the early 18th century until 1953, when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark. The island, geographically part of North America, became an autonomous territory of the Nordic country following a referendum in 1979, and its powers were significantly expanded in 2009, although defense, foreign policy, and monetary matters still fall entirely under the jurisdiction of the Scandinavian country.

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