Elections were held in Greenland on Tuesday and the party that is most pro-USA doubled its seats in the legislature/parliament.
The Naleraq party gains are notable, with 24.5% of the vote, worth eight seats, rather than the four it had.
Greenland’s Demokraatit party, a center-right group, tripled its gains and won the parliamentary elections with nearly 30% of the vote, securing 10 of the 31 seats in the parliament, a big increase from the 9% share that it had in 2021.
The Demokraatit party will start coalition talks to form a new government, focusing on domestic priorities such as healthcare, education, and economic development, while maintaining a go-slow approach to achieving full independence from Denmark.
Although Greenland is a long ways from voting to join the United States, the election is definitely showing a change in sentiment. The center-right Demokraatits agrees with Naleraq on strengthening US ties and holding an independence-from-Denmark vote, but the two parties have different timelines on how that should occur.
The incumbent Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut parties declined, getting 21.4% and 14.7% of the vote respectively, both taking big losses from the previous election.
President Donald Trump has welcomed Greenland as another US state. It has been a Danish territory since 1953 and was a colony of Denmark before that.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski panned the idea, saying Greenland is “not for sale.” Full statement here.
“As legislators representing Greenland in Denmark and the United States, we see a better path forward. The United States, like Denmark, should recognize that the future will be defined by partnership, not ownership. To ensure our alliance reaches its full potential, Americans must view Greenland as an ally, not an asset. Open for business, but not for sale,” Murkowski said in a joint statement with Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Greenland parliament, back in January.
