Greenland's parliamentary election of 11 March took place under intense scrutiny, in the wake of Donald Trump’s aggressive interest in the Danish island territory, and with independence the key issue for voters. The centre-right opposition won a surprise victory, with support also surging for the pro-independence Naleraq party.
The Democratic party – which describes itself as "social liberal" and has also called for independence, but in the longer term – more than tripled its score from the 2021 election to win 29.9 percent of votes, official results showed.
The Naleraq party, the most ardently pro-independence of the parties, more than doubled its showing to 24.5 percent.
Never before has an election in Greenland garnered as much international interest, following Trump's recently stated ambitions to take control of the vast resource-rich territory.
In his State of the Union address of 4 March, Trump was, again, ambiguous on the subject of Greenland.
He began by saying: "We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and, if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America." But followed this message with the declaration: "We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it. But we need it, really, for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it."
In the face of this threat, on the eve of the election Greenland's outgoing prime minister Mute Egede declared in an interview on Danish television channel DR: "We don't want to be either Americans or Danes."
Egede added that at a time when "the world order is shaking on many fronts," the president of Greenland's neighbour was proving to be "very unpredictable" which was "worrying people".
Timeline for independence
"We respect the election result," Egede, who leads the left-green Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party, told public broadcaster KNR, while the leader of IA's coalition partner Siumut party conceded defeat.
The two parties came in third and fourth place, respectively. As none of the parties won a majority of the 31 seats in parliament, negotiations to form a coalition will be held in the coming days.
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.
Greenland's road to independence, explained
"The Democrats are open to talks with all parties and are seeking unity. Especially with what is going on in the world," said the party's 33-year-old leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
All of Greenland's main political parties back independence but disagree on the timeframe.
The island's inhabitants – almost 90 percent of whom are Inuits – say they are tired of being treated like second-class citizens by their former colonial power Denmark, which they accuse of having historically suppressed their culture, carried out forced sterilisations and removed children from their families.
The Trump effect
Trump, who has said he is determined to get the vast Arctic island "one way or the other", tried until the last minute to influence the vote. On Sunday, hours before the election, Trump again invited Greenlanders "to be a part of the greatest nation anywhere in the world, the United States of America".
Possibly signalling a Trump effect, turnout in Tuesday's election was higher than usual, election officials said.
In an opinion poll conducted following Trump's first threat of annexation on 7 January, 85 percent of Greenlanders polled said they had no intention of becoming part of the US.
Kira, a 25-year-old student recently interviewed by RFI's correspondent in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, is one of them. "All this makes us laugh, but we're not objects. We don't want to be colonised twice. We want to be ourselves, and the time has come."
Greenland's Inuits rediscover their national pride
Under Danish rule for centuries, it is not out of the question that Greenlanders may be called upon to vote again this year – in a referendum on independence. And that Trump's comments may have brought issues under that banner to a head.
"This interest in Greenland is like a moment of great awareness," said Qupanuk Olsen, 40, a candidate under the Naleraq banner. "Greenlanders are really starting to realise that they are much more valuable than they thought. I see that as a very, very positive thing."
Mineral resources
Under normal circumstances, these elections might have passed completely under the radar. But this time, they are under very close surveillance from Denmark and the entire European Union.
In addition to Greenland's geographical position as a strategic crossroads in the Arctic, its subsoil – infinitely rich in minerals coveted by industry, particularly rare earths – makes it a coveted territory.
According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (Geus), the Far North island is home to 36.1 million tonnes of rare earth resources. And according to the latest report from the US Geological Survey (USGS), reserves, which correspond to economically and technically recoverable resources, are in the region of 1.5 million tonnes. Australian, Chinese and Canadian companies are prospecting in Greenland.
Minerals, mines, hydrocarbons: Greenland's key but limited resources
Washington first proposed buying Greenland in 1867. A few years after a second attempt, during the First World War in 1917, the US bought the Virgin Islands from Copenhagen.
During the Second World War, the US took control of the island territory, before handing it back at the end of the conflict, while subsequently reinforcing its military infrastructure there under a specific agreement.
Naleraq says the current US president's remarks have given Greenland leverage ahead of independence negotiations with Denmark.
But Trump's words have also chilled some independence supporters, making continued ties with Copenhagen more attractive to them, at least for now.
"Staying with Denmark is more important than ever right now because I think Denmark has mostly been good to us," said one voter who identified himself only as Ittukusuk. "If we become independent, then Trump might get too aggressive and that's what scares me."
(With AFP)
This article has been adapted from the original version in French.
