Greenland Voters Give Two Independence-Oriented Parties Top Spots in March 11th Election
The new ruling coalition could be open to a Compact of Free Association, which would benefit both Greenlanders and Americans.
I have been following the developments in Greenland closely, especially in light of yesterday’s election and the ongoing focus on the Arctic Island and its future.
I am happy to report the Greenland parliamentary election held resulted in a surprising victory for the center-right opposition party, Demokraatit (Democrats), which wants gradual independence from Denmark. The second spot went to Naleraq, which advocates for a rapid approach to independence from Denmark.
The center-right Demokraatit Party won the most votes in Greenland’s parliamentary elections, a surprise result as the territory went to the polls in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s stated goal of taking control of the island one way or another.
Both Demokraatit — the Democrats — and the second place party, Naleraq — “Point of Orientation” — favor independence from Denmark, but they have differences on the pace of change.
Demokraatit’s upset victory over parties that have governed the territory for years indicates that many in Greenland care just as much about healthcare, education, cultural heritage and other social policies.
The unanticipated results came after huge crowds streamed into the polling station in the capital, Nuuk, throughout the day, warmed by sunny skies.
The results are a mandate for a change in status, and a rebuke to the ruling party.
- Demokraatit secured 29.9% of the votes, a significant increase from their 9.1% in the 2021 election.
- >The Naleraq party, which advocates for rapid independence and closer ties with the U.S., came in second with 24.5% of the votes and is a significant 12% points higher than they achieved in the last election.
- The former ruling coalition of Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut received a combined 36% of the votes, a substantial decrease from their 66.1% in the previous election.
🚨🇬🇱GREENLAND SHIFTS RIGHT AS TRUMP REVIVES U.S TAKEOVER TALK
Greenland’s pro-business Demokraatit party has been declared the winner of the election after surging to 29.9%.
The party, which supports a slow path to independence from Denmark, more than trebled its share of the… https://t.co/Y4gPqMqMUr pic.twitter.com/7P6qNLFPhi
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 12, 2025
Jens-Frederik Nielsen will now start negotiating with other parties to form a ruling coalition.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Demokraatit’s leader and a former minister of industry and minerals, will now hold talks with Naleraq and other parties to try and form a governing coalition. The ruling Inuit Ataqatigiit party and its partner Siumut, which also seek a slow path toward independence, won a combined 36% of votes.
“We don’t want independence tomorrow, we want a good foundation,” Nielsen told reporters in Greenland’s capital Nuuk early Wednesday after all the votes were counted.
Clearly, Greenland isn’t going to break from Denmark tomorrow. But I will note that some mainstream media outlets are claiming that a “Trump critic” is now in charge. For example, NBC:
“We need Greenland for national security. One way or the other we’re gonna get it,” Trump told Congress during an address last week.
Those comments directly oppose those of Nielsen, who during Tuesday’s vote told NBC News international partner Sky News that he wanted the vote to send “a clear message to him that we are not for sale.”
“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope,” Nielsen added.
I suspect Trump’s comments have more to do with inspiring Denmark or the Greenlanders to take Arctic security more seriously. Furthermore, Nielson’s comments are hardly unreasonable and don’t indicate he wouldn’t be open to an arrangement with the US that allows his nation to be independent.
The new ruling coalition could be open to a Compact of Free Association, benefiting both Greenlanders and Americans. In fact, second-place Naleraq indicated it was very open to this idea…and I will note that made significant gains in this election.
However, there looks like there will be no rush to independence either.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
The problem they’re going to have to address in an independant Greenland is the fact that their economy is distorted by an outsized proportion of government employees paid by Denmark, and that they simply do not have the ability to sustain their current system without outside aid.
This could mean you’ve got mineral rights on the auction block for fire sale prices pretty quick as they run out of other people’s money.
That would dictate a go-slow approach instead of a rush to change the Naleraq party seems to want. I’m not sure what the time schedule would look like (one, two, three years?) but planning in advance will be in their best interests. In the mean time, reopening the northwest Thule base and establishing another two on the northeast east and southern coasts to monitor our rivals’ movements would be a good idea for the US, not to mention the influx of American dollars would be welcome by the natives as long as it’s handled the right way.
.
This is all nonsense. Greenland will never become part of the United States, and Canada and Mexico will never become part of the United States. Trump just be-clowns himself with these delusions. He needs to focus on the United States. You know, the country which elected him President.
Quit upvoting yourself.
Wait, say what? They held elections yesterday and we already know the results?! How is this possible? What sort of magic is involved?
Well, you can’t expect them to have mastered the art of graft and electoral shenanigans on an island of less than 60k people
What a difference to have a president with actual experience in a wealth-generation industry. Trump sees opportunities that everybody else misses.
the trump doctrine must be adhered to
This has exactly the same legal validity Catalan nationalists winning did right before Spain had them arrested (none).
This is still a matter for the United States to negotiate with Denmark. No law of nations has ever required a country to adhere to a secession vote.
The difference is that Danish law already has a framework allowing for Greenland to make moves towards independence.
“Under the “Act on Greenland Self-Government” (commonly referred to as the Self-Government Act), which was passed by the Danish Parliament on June 12, 2009, and came into effect on June 21, 2009. This law establishes a legal process by which Greenland can achieve independence if its people choose to do so.
Under Section 21 of the 2009 Self-Government Act, Greenland has the right to declare full independence, but this requires two key steps: (1) a referendum among the Greenlandic people to approve independence, and (2) subsequent approval by the Danish Parliament through an agreement negotiated between the Greenlandic and Danish governments. Additionally, under international law, Greenland is recognized as having the right to self-determination, which means it could theoretically pursue independence unilaterally, though the 2009 Act assumes a negotiated process.
Danish law is whatever the Danes say it is and their parliament has no obligation to agree that such a framework will be followed.
If they do not want Greenland to secede they will change what you just showed.
No nation is ever required to allow a portion of itself to secede from outside and from within as I just said the Danes get to do as they please.
If they want to allow the secession they will if they don’t they won’t.
What happens if the Greenlanders decide they don’t want to listen to the Danish parliament any more and form their own government? Secession is more practical when they’re not physically contiguous.
Denmark is a nation of millions Greenland is a nation of around 55k including children and people who voted against the anti-Denmark parties.
Greenland also does not have any kind of militias, partisan movements or even weapons.
Any kind of secession without Danish permission would just end in the seceding government being placed under house arrest and the rest of Greenland would continue business as usual.
America is negotiating direct with Denmark for good reasons.
Who says the Dane’s will have a choice, Greenland can tie the Dane’ hands with business agreement with US. Win-win.
First Trump wants good relations with Denmark at the end of the acquisition of Greenland.
Second Greenland has no business community it is an impoverished mess which is part of the reason why leaving Denmark sounds good to them so who exactly is establishing ties to the American business community by agreement?
Recall that if the Danes decide to transfer or sell Greenland to the U.S., the British have (from a WW1 era deal with the Danes) the right of first refusal. If the Danes say to President Trump, “sure, 20 billion and it’s yours”, the Brits will come up with the cash (in pounds sterling, of course) and Greenland becomes THEIRS.
The WW1 deal was made because the U.S. had tried to buy Greenland just after the Civil War, and again during WW1. The Danes refused then (as they would again just after WW2), but the Brits were concerned that the U.S. would encircle Canada (which by the way was indeed a foreign policy goal of the U.S. during that time).
So the only way this works is if the Danes first grant Greenland their independence, and THEN the Greenlanders make a deal to join the U.S. as either a territory or a state (as Vermont, Texas, and California all did back in the day). In such a scenario the British are elbowed out.
That’s a lot of pounds sterling.
Does Greenland have to accept it if it shows up in riyals?
If you think Keir Starmer the man who feels so much anguish over detainment of IRA leadership, and over Britain not giving the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is falling over himself for the chance to acquire new territory……
He is a leftist who feels his nation is evil he doesn’t want to enlarge it.
8 of 12 Voters then