Trump's prized Greenland faces political shake-up as opposition wins
Greenland was set to undergo a significant political shift on Wednesday following parliamentary elections, with two opposition parties that favour independence from Denmark emerging as the strongest forces in the Greenlandic parliament.
Under the shadow of threats by President Donald Trump to incorporate the world's largest island into the United States, the centre-right opposition Demokraatit (Democrats) achieved 29.9% of the vote, a jump of over 20 points from the last election in 2021, becoming the largest force in the autonomous Danish territory's parliament in Nuuk, known as the Inatsisartut.
Naleraq (Point of Orientation), which would like to see independence from the kingdom of Denmark achieved much sooner than the Democrats, garnered 24.5% the vote, more than doubling its previous showing.
By contrast, the two governing parties coming into Tuesday's vote - the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit (Community of the People, IA) and the social democratic Siumut (Forward) - saw their support slump by around 15 percentage points each: IA to 21.4% and Siumut to 14.7%.
IA, led by Prime Minister Múte B Egede, and Siumut were generally considered the strongest forces in Greenlandic politics.
Turnout in the election, in which just over 40,000 Greenlanders out of a total population of 57,000 were eligible to vote, was just under 71%.
Since the formation of Greenland's first independent government in 1979, Siumut and IA have always provided the prime minister.
IA initially governed for a year in coalition with Naleraq in the last government but, due to controversies in this coalition, IA partnered with Siumut from 2022.
Now, it falls to the 33-year-old Democrat leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen to form a new government.
He announced during the night that he would extend his hand to all other parties, including Naleraq, which is viewed critically in many parts of the political spectrum.
"This is the second largest party, so we cannot avoid them," Nielsen said on election night, according to the Danish broadcaster DR.
He simultaneously advocated a "calm approach" towards the United States and stated that a "foundation" must first be established before discussing the creation of an independent state.
Nielsen has several options for achieving a majority in the 31-seat Inatsisartut. IA leader Egede has already declared his willingness to negotiate. Naleraq leader Pele Broberg also did not rule out collaboration.
Rasmus Leander Nielsen, a lecturer at the University of Greenland in Nuuk, suspects that the Democrats might form a government with IA and perhaps also include the smaller conservative Atassut (Solidarity), which made it into parliament as the fifth party. However, he does not believe in a potential alliance between the Democrats and Naleraq.
The debate on Greenland's future unleashed by Trump's declaration of interest in the island overshadowed the electoral campaign, with politicians from both Greenland and Denmark rejecting his claims.
Trump says resource-rich Greenland is of strategic importance for US security. The island which straddles the Arctic and Atlantic lies on important shipping routes.
Greenland researcher Ulrik Pram Gad from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Copenhagen said, "Trump's embrace has been rejected."
It is now about redirecting his interest towards economic collaboration, where the EU could also play an important role, Gad said.
Rasmus Leander Nielsen agrees: "Had Trump not repeatedly made these remarks over time, the focus would have been much more on cooperation with the US.
"Perhaps it was a bit too much interest from the Trump administration."
Greenland officially belongs to the kingdom of Denmark but decides on most of its political matters independently. However, foreign affairs and defence are run by the government in Copenhagen.
Independence from Denmark has been debated for decades - a debate that has been significantly accelerated by Trump's remarks.
Most Greenlandic parties fundamentally agree that the island should eventually become independent - but they disagree on when the right time might be for that to happen.
While Naleraq stands for a swift separation, the Democrats and others prefer a significantly slower approach. In their manifesto, the Democrats make it clear that political independence is "the ultimate goal" but also that the right conditions must first be created.
The main sticking point is Greenland's still strong financial dependency on Copenhagen. "They need cooperation partners," stresses researcher Rasmus Leander Nielsen.
The Democrats addressed this in their manifesto, highlighting possibilities for free association agreements with the US and Denmark. However, regarding Trump, the programme also states: "Let's make it very clear: Greenland is not for sale. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never."
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