The people of Greenland recently headed to the polls as they fought for independence from Denmark and annexation threats from United States President Donald Trump.
The centre-right Demokraatik party, advocating for a slower approach to independence took most of the vote. This saw the current governing parties, left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit and centre-left Siumut, edged to third and fourth place.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen led the Demokraatik party to victory with almost 30% of the vote while pro-independence party Naleraq was just behind with 24.5% of the vote. It is unclear whether the two parties will form a new coalition.
“Our main focus will be the politics we’ve been elected for, and then we will have to talk to the other parties, where they stand,” Demokraatit party member of Greenland’s parliament, Anna Wangenheim said.
The pro-American Qulleq party didn’t receive enough votes for a seat in parliament.
Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), told POLITICO that results show a refusal to Trump’s wishes. Trump said this was a priority for his administration due to the deposits of critical minerals in the country.
“Trump’s embrace has been rejected, but the challenge now is to channel international interest into economic cooperation. In this regard, the EU could potentially play a role,” Gad said.
While the people of Greenland have voted for independence, there is still a question of whether the country can economically do it alone.
“The focus [for the new government] will remain on developing the economy toward independence, but with a stronger emphasis on market-based solutions. Greenland will continue to push Denmark for greater equality, though it may also be more open to Danish investments,” Gad told POLITICO.
