The government of Greenland has announced that parliamentary elections will be held on March 11, a move that comes in the wake of recent comments from US President Donald Trump, who suggested that Greenland belongs to the United States.
The key issues in the upcoming election are expected to be Greenland’s pursuit of independence, its relations with Denmark and the US, as well as the country’s economic situation, according to the news agency Reuters. Greenland’s economy is heavily reliant on fishing and Danish subsidies.
In 2019, Trump first expressed his interest in purchasing Greenland and in December, he again raised the idea, stating that the US believes the island’s ownership and control are an absolute necessity in the interest of national security and freedom in the world.
Greenland, which is rich in untapped natural resources, has stated that it is open to business, but not part of the US. On Tuesday, the Greenlandic parliament voted in favor of a bill that bans foreign and anonymous donations to political parties and politicians, aiming to protect the country’s political integrity and prevent foreign interference in the election.
The US interest in Greenland has also prompted the parliament to tighten the rules for foreign real estate investments. “We are in a serious time, a time like we have never experienced in our country” wrote Múte B. Egede, the Prime Minister of Greenland, on Facebook, emphasizing the need for unity and cooperation.
Greenland has been a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1979, with the Danish government still responsible for the country’s foreign and defense policies. The island receives an annual subsidy of around $600 million from Denmark.
Reuters noted that the movement for full independence from Denmark has gained more supporters in recent years.
While Prime Minister Egede is a supporter of independence, he has not yet presented a concrete plan, according to the news agency. He currently leads a government coalition consisting of the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party and the social democratic Siumut party.
Reuters also pointed out that, although all five parties support independence, they have different opinions on how and when this should be achieved. Only the opposition party Naleraq, which currently holds five of the 31 seats in the parliament, wants to immediately cut ties with Denmark. “The most important part of our election campaign will be taking the process of independence from Denmark” said Pele Broberg, the chairman of the Naleraq party, to the agency.
A recent poll by the Verian research institute, commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske and the Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq, found that 85 percent of respondents do not want to leave Denmark and become part of the US, while 6 percent want to be part of the US and the remaining 9 percent are undecided.
The majority of respondents, 56 percent, would vote for independence if a referendum were held today. However, 45 percent of the population would vote against independence if it were to negatively affect their standard of living.