Monday’s general election showed how much President Trump’s apparent goal of acquiring Greenland has stirred up public sentiment on the island. It turned into a massive political defeat for the left-wing establishment parties who had been the dominant force ever since Greenland was given autonomy in the late 1970s.
The two social democrat parties in the outgoing coalition—the Inuit Ataqatigiit and the
Siumut—lost half their combined seats and were pushed to third and fourth place in the parliament with 22% and 15%, respectively. They both support gradual independence from Denmark, but the results suggest that voters no longer believe they would carry it through after being in government for the past two decades.
Instead, Greenlanders gave their trust to two newer and much smaller parties this time. The election winner became the pro-business liberal Democrats, who more than tripled their seats with 30%. The center-right party used to be staunchly unionist when it was founded, but shifted toward gradual independence as well in recent years—while recently rejecting Trump’s advances.
A party’s strong opposition to Trump’s advances might have been the key to its victory. Demokraatit Party leader Jens Frederik Nielsen’s popularity shot up when he told Washington that Greenland was not for sale. The incoming prime minister based his campaign around implementing free-market reforms to create the economic foundation for future independence from Denmark, as well as preserving the island’s “political independence” from the U.S.—at least temporarily.
However, the fact that pro-independence populists Naleraq finished a close second while also doubling their total seats with 26% shows that Trump’s offer resonated with many on the island. Naleraq has called for an independence referendum as soon as possible, followed by much closer ties with Washington, albeit without becoming part of the U.S.
Another strong possibility is that the next government will be a Democratic-Naleraq right-wing coalition, the only possible option for a stable majority without third parties involved. This means independence will be heavily featured on the agenda, subject to striking a balance between the Democrats’ gradual approach and Naleraq’s urgency.
Meanwhile, centrists Atassut—the only true unionist party— finished in last place with 7%, retaining just two spots in the 31-seat parliament.
The results show that Greenland is only divided about what to do when and not if independence from Denmark is reached. Nonetheless, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen congratulated the winning Democrats and said she was looking forward to working with Nielsen’s future government.
