{"id":257331,"date":"2025-03-12T08:56:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/in-trumps-shadow-greenland-votes-for-a-new-government\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T08:56:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:56:24","slug":"in-trumps-shadow-greenland-votes-for-a-new-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/in-trumps-shadow-greenland-votes-for-a-new-government\/","title":{"rendered":"In Trump\u2019s Shadow, Greenland Votes for a New Government"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/12\/multimedia\/12int-greenland-election-01-gtfm\/12int-greenland-election-01-gtfm-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"In Trump\u2019s Shadow, Greenland Votes for a New Government\" title=\"In Trump\u2019s Shadow, Greenland Votes for a New Government\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With Greenland thrust into the spotlight by President Trump\u2019s insistence that the United States will \u201cget\u201d the remote island at the top of the world, its parliamentary <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/10\/world\/europe\/trump-greenland-election.html\" title=\"\">election<\/a> on Tuesday took on unusual importance \u2014 not just for the outside world, but for Greenlanders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Voter turnout was at its highest in 12 years, so much so that polling stations on the sparsely populated island, which is partly controlled by Denmark, were kept open late to accommodate long lines. Nearly 74 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot, according to official figures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With all votes counted early Wednesday morning, the winner was Demokraatit, a party that has been critical of Mr. Trump\u2019s rhetoric. It has taken a moderate stance on the subject of independence from Denmark, which most Greenland politicians support as a long-term goal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But in second place was a party, Naleraq, that has pushed hard for independence sooner \u2014 which some of its members have said would enable Greenland to associate more freely with other countries, including the United States. One prominent member of Naleraq is very pro-Trump and even attended the American president\u2019s inauguration.<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Denmark colonized Greenland more than 300 years ago, and while the island is now considered a semiautonomous territory, Denmark still controls its foreign policy, defense and other aspects of its governance. Demokraatit \u2014 which won just under 30 percent of the vote, ahead of Naleraq\u2019s 24.5 percent<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>\u2014 has consistently argued that independence must come second to economic and social stability. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Lars Trier Mogensen, a political analyst based in Copenhagen, said Demokraatit\u2019s victory suggested that Greenland would not seek drastic change in its geopolitical relationships, at least for now. \u201cThe new Greenlandic government is unlikely to rush into major shifts in U.S. relations anytime soon,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He said the results were \u201ca sign that Greenlandic voters have pragmatically recognized that the economy must be stronger before taking decisive steps toward independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Greenland has a trove of minerals and is strategically located on increasingly important sea lanes. Mr. Trump, in an <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/04\/us\/politics\/transcript-trump-speech-congress.html\" title=\"\">address to Congress<\/a> last week, declared that the United States would take control of it \u201cone way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Sunday, two days before the election, he made a direct pitch to Greenland\u2019s 56,000 people. \u201cWe are ready to INVEST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to create new jobs and MAKE YOU RICH,\u201d he wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Greenlanders have been clear that despite Mr. Trump\u2019s entreaties, they don\u2019t want to be absorbed by the United States, with polls showing that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.veriangroup.com\/da\/news-and-insights\/opinionsmaling-groenland-2025\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">at least 85 percent<\/a> oppose it. \u201cGreenland is not a house that can be bought,\u201d Demokraatit\u2019s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said during a televised campaign debate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, Kuno Fencker of Naleraq, who is Greenland\u2019s most pro-Trump politician, got far more votes than he did in the last election, in 2021. Mr. Fencker, an advocate for independence as soon as possible, attended Mr. Trump\u2019s inauguration and took a tour of the West Wing, and his push for stronger ties with the United States drew fierce criticism from his rivals, some of whom labeled him a traitor. In <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC2v_I02pRjODDHawXYxE9WQ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a recent podcast<\/a>, Mr. Fencker argued that Mr. Trump had been \u201cmisunderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Naleraq\u2019s second-place finish means that pro-independence voices will remain influential, and the party could push for greater engagement with Washington. The party\u2019s showing was a dramatic improvement from 2021; at an election night party on the outskirts of Nuuk, the capital, party members and supporters embraced, danced and cheered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Trier Mogensen predicted that Demokraatit was likely to form a governing coalition with the more moderate Inuit Ataqatigiit party, or I.A., which finished third, with 21.4 percent of the vote. Inuit Ataqatigiit, the dominant party in the outgoing governing coalition, embraced a go-slow approach to breaking off from Denmark. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The election results will shape the 31-seat Parliament, the Inatsisartut. Mr. Nielsen of Demokraatit said in a broadcast appearance early Wednesday that the party was \u201creaching out to everyone,\u201d adding, \u201cGreenland needs unity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Greenland, the world\u2019s biggest island, is home to a mostly Inuit population, which was sidelined during the colonial era. Over time, demands for self-rule led to greater autonomy and a Greenlandic government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Today, Greenland manages most of its domestic affairs. But full independence would be challenging, given that Denmark\u2019s financial support covers over half of Greenland\u2019s budget and pays for everything from schools and social services to cheap gas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Greenland\u2019s economy is heavily dependent on fishing, though its tourism industry is quickly growing. Many voters said that local issues were more important to them than geopolitics, and skepticism about Mr. Trump has been widespread, among voters and politicians alike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the election campaign\u2019s final televised debate on Monday, five of the six party leaders said they did not trust Mr. Trump. Only Karl Ingemann of the Qulleq party, which is small and has little influence, said he did. (Mr. Ingemann failed to win a seat.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Erik Jensen, the leader of the Siumut party, was especially critical, warning that \u201cTrump is trying to influence us.\u201d<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"> <\/strong>M\u00fate B. Egede of Inuit Ataqatigiit, the outgoing prime minister, called the American president \u201cunpredictable\u201d and accused him of \u201ccreating instability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The election was not an easy one to run. Greenland is three times the size of Texas, and most of it is covered in ice. Ballots had to be transported by helicopter, boat and snowmobile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/12\/world\/europe\/greenland-election.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Greenland thrust into the spotlight by President Trump\u2019s insistence that the United States will \u201cget\u201d the remote island at the top of the world, its parliamentary election on Tuesday took on unusual importance \u2014 not just for the outside world, but for Greenlanders. Voter turnout was at its highest in 12 years, so much [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/12\/multimedia\/12int-greenland-election-01-gtfm\/12int-greenland-election-01-gtfm-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[163575,67,3954,10923,137131,5098,52,1734,128437,3649],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257333,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257331\/revisions\/257333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}