Greenland's parliamentary election is set to get underway in a matter of hours, with a heightened focus on with independence for the a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
Polls will open at 11 am local time (10 pm AEDT) and close at 10 pm GMT, (9 am AEDT Wednesday morning), with no exit polls, and a result not expected until the next day.
Heading into this latest election, for a majority, 16 out of Greenland's 31 parliamentary seats are needed.
Greenland's current ruling party, the socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) led by Prime Minister Mute Egede, holds 11 seats, and a coalition with centre-left party Siumut.
A key feature for all parties in the running is independence, amidst ongoing interest from United States President Donald Trump in taking over control of Greenland.
The island has enviable resources, including a rich supply of rare earth minerals, and for Trump would act as a strategic location mapping out the shortest route from Europe to the U.S. for its ballistic missile warning system.
In 1953, Greenland became a formal territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, leaving Copenhagen in charge of foreign affairs, defence and monetary policies, but it has had the right to hold a referendum on independence since 2008.
IA supports an in independent Greenland, both politically and economically, and also opposes uranium mining on the basis of environmental risk.
Siumut advocates for a slower paced, gradual succession from Denmark while the conservative Demokraatit party, does not support independence at all.
Research data and polls show that a majority of Greenlanders are in favour of independence from Denmark, although vary on the method and timing, and with very little support for becoming an American territory instead.
Approximately 40,500 out of Greenland's 57,000 citizens are eligible to vote, according to Greenland's Domestic Affairs Ministry, and 27,000 people voted in the last general election back in 2021.
