Greenland’s pro-business Demokraatit opposition party won Tuesday’s closely watched parliamentary election with 29.9% of the vote, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump’s idea to annex the territory has thrown an international spotlight on the election and raised questions about the island’s future security as the United States, Russia, and China vie for influence in the Arctic.
All the dominant parties in Greenland, a Danish autonomous region rich in oil and gas, agree on the desire for independence from Denmark.
Demokratit takes a slower approach to the question of independence that has loomed over this election.
The ousted ruling democratic socialist party, Inuit Ataqatigiit, views independence as a long-term project requiring years of negotiation with Denmark and further economic improvement.
The main opposition party, Naleraq—which has campaigned to sever ties with Denmark more quickly and wants to pursue a defense agreement with the US—fell behind in the polls, according to Reuters.
Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953, when the island achieved greater powers of self-governance. Then, in 2009, it gained more powers pertaining to minerals, policing, and courts of law. But Denmark still controls security, defense, foreign, and monetary policy. Greenland also benefits from Denmark’s European Union and NATO memberships.
Greenland holds elections every four years, with 31 seats in parliament at stake. With Tuesday’s results, the previous two-party coalition—Inuit Ataqatigiit and the Siumut party—is expected to lose their parliamentary majority, Reuters reported.
