NUUK: A party that favours a gradual path to Greenland’s independence from Denmark won a surprise victory in parliamentary polls, held in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s stated goal of taking control of the island one way or another.
The centre-right Demokraatit Party has pushed back against Trump’s rhetoric, saying it is for Greenlanders to decide the future of the strategically important territory, which holds large reserves of rare earth minerals needed to make everything from mobile phones to renewable energy technology. The Arctic island is also home to a US air base and straddles strategic routes in the North Atlantic.
The result should send clear message to Trump — Denmark is not for sale, said Demokraatit leader JensFriederik Nielsen. “We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope.”
Trump has been outspoken about his desire to control Greenland, telling the Congress he thought the US was going to get it “one way or other.”
A break from Denmark wasn’t on the ballot, but it was on everyone’s mind. Greenland was colonised 300 years ago by Denmark, which exercises control over foreign and defence policy. The island of 56,000 people has been on a path toward in dependence since at least 2009, and the 31 lawmakers elected will shape the island’s future as it debates whether the time has come to declare independence. Four of the five main parties sought independence, but disagreed on when and how.
Second-placed Naleraq is the most aggressively pro-independence, while Demokraatit favours a moderate pace of change. Broadcaster DR reported Nielsen said his party would reach out to all parties to negotiate Greenland’s future political course.
