Greenland has voted for a complete overhaul of its government in a shock result in which the centre-right Democrat party more than tripled its seats after a dramatic election campaign fought against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.
Tuesday’s election, in which the Democrats replaced Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), the party of the former prime minister Múte B Egede, as the biggest party in the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, also led to a doubling of seats for Naleraq – the party most open to US collaboration and which supports a snap vote on independence – making it the second-biggest party.
The Democrats and Naleraq each favour independence from Denmark but differ on the pace of change, with Naleraq favouring a faster pace than the Democrats (known as Demokraatit in Greenland).
The result – an earthquake in Greenlandic politics – surprised even the Democrat leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen. The party has never before secured so many seats – it won 10 seats, an increase of seven on the last election and three more than its previous record of seven in 2005 – and was not considered one of the key players, with most attention on IA, Naleraq and Siumut, IA’s coalition partner.
While the Democrats have been involved in several coalitions, they have never led a government, as they are expected to after coalition talks.
There are a total of 31 seats in the Greenlandic parliament, with 16 seats needed for a majority.
IA lost almost half its seats – going from 12 to seven – making it the third-biggest party. With no party having won a majority of the 31 seats, leaders will next head into coalition talks to negotiate the formation of the next government.
The Democrats describe themselves as being “social liberal” and have called for independence but in the longer term. Nielsen said: “We didn’t expect the election to have this outcome. We’re very happy.”
The 33-year-old former badminton champion said: “The Democrats are open to talks with all parties and are seeking unity. Especially with what is going on in the world.”
With 90% of the vote counted, the Democrats held a 29.9% share of the vote, an insurmountable lead, according to Greenland’s public broadcaster KNR. Naleraq’s share of the vote stood at 24.5%.
The Naleraq leader, Pele Broberg, said the election day would be remembered and congratulated Nielsen. He thanked voters and said: “We will work with the people of the country to honour the power they have given us. Without exception, thank you all for the day.”
Egede, who on Tuesday said it had been a campaign “burdened by geopolitical tensions”, said: “We respect the election. I’m so glad so many people came out to vote.” The party took a 21.4% vote share.
The leader of the Siumut party, IA’s coalition partner, conceded defeat.
The future government is expected to map out a timeline for independence, which is backed by a large majority of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants. The longstanding movement has gained significant traction in recent years after a series of scandals highlighting Denmark’s racist treatment of Greenlanders – including the IUD scandal, in which up to 4,500 women and girls were allegedly fitted with the contraceptive device without their knowledge, and “parenting competency” tests that have separated many Inuit children from their parents.
Amid worldwide attention largely spurred by Trump, who last week told Congress he would acquire Greenland “one way or the other” and has promised to make Greenlanders rich, turnout in Tuesday’s election was higher than usual, election officials said.
The election was also watched closely in Denmark, which ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and continues to control its foreign and security policy. Greenland, along with the Faroe Islands, is part of the kingdom of Denmark.
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said Tuesday had been “a joyful day and a celebration of democracy”. She added: “I would like to congratulate Demokraatit on a very good election. The Danish government will await the results of the negotiations that will now take place in Greenland. But we look forward to working with Greenland’s future Naalakkersuisut [the Greenlandic government].”
Kuno Fencker, a member of parliament for Naleraq, which increased its seats from four to eight, said the party immediately got to work with a four-hour meeting after a jubilant victory event in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
This election was a “gamechanger” for Greenlandic politics, Fencker said. “Before, people voted mostly Siumut – it was like a football club that they never left. But people have had enough and voted very differently this time,” he said.
Despite all the international attention, Fencker said the election was won on domestic issues such as business, fisheries, pensions, people’s livelihoods and healthcare.
He hopes that Naleraq will be able to form a coalition with the Democrats as the ruling party, as both parties want reforms on business, fisheries, tax and pensions, and Fencker believes they could agree on a path to Greenland becoming a sovereign country.
Fencker, who travelled to Washington DC for Trump’s election and has been described as “Greenland’s most pro-Trump politician”, said that although relations between Greenland and Denmark had been improving under Frederiksen, he wishes she would mirror some of Trump’s most recent rhetoric on Greenland, but that he is strongly opposed to any form of US ownership.
He said: “I just hope that Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, would say the same thing as Donald Trump: that she respects our right to becoming a state and if we want to join Denmark we are absolutely open to join Denmark after sovereignty of Greenland, and that Denmark wants to invest a lot of billions of kroner in Greenland.”
Fencker said the “optimal” solution for Greenland, in terms of independence, would either be a free association agreement with Denmark or a new agreement within the Danish commonwealth.
Nielsen, however, said they must not get ahead of themselves. “We must have a calm course in relation to the USA. In relation to state formation, we must first build the foundation. We must not build the house from the chimney down,” he told KNR.
