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Greenland's independence party, Narelaq, which seeks the fastest break up with Denmark, is on its way to get a major boost as per early trends of counting of votes at the parliamentary elections at the Arctic islands. As per a report by Bloomberg, the Narelaq party secured about 36% in voting, after around 1,000 of the votes had been counted in Tuesday’s election. This compares with 12% four years ago.
The ballots that have been counted in early hours of the results equal to about 2.5% of the total eligible votes. Therefore, the final results may vary largely as votes from larger towns including capital Nuuk come in.
The stakes are high at Greenland's election with an electorate of approximately 40,000, of a total population of around 57,000. Ruling party's vote share reduces in early count Prime Minister Mute B. Egede’s leftist Inuit Ataqatigiit party and its coalition partner at the government, Siumut, secured about 35% votes together, as per the early numbers quoted by Bloomberg.
This compares with the near 66% of the votes the two parties secured together four years ago. Many voting stations registered a higher turnout than in previous elections, the news agency reported quoting local media. In Nuuk, political parties held small rallies outside the voting station, distributing cakes and hampers to voters.
Both Egede's party and Simuut have rallied behind the idea of increasing Greenland's independence from the colonial grip of Denmark, which still controls security and foreign policy of the autonomous territory. Egede earlier this year urged Greenland to remove “the shackles of the colonial era,” while its coalition partner indicated that it wants to start independence talks with Denmark in the coming election term. Donald Trump's influence Donald Trump has been running a persistent campaign of taking over the island, claiming that he will occupy Greenland “one way or the other”, which has become a big talking point of the elections.
The US President on Sunday posted on Truth Social , urging the residents of the vast Arctic territory to “be a part of the Greatest Nation anywhere in the World, the United States of America.” He also hinted at a promise of wealth, giving rise to speculations about how far th US would go in order to get hold of Greenland. Trump's remarks have however also boosted talks of independence in Greenland, making candidates lay out a vision for what sovereignty might look like and when it could happen.
Tuesday's vote that would elect a new 31-member parliament will be crucial in laying out Greenland's path to become a country on its own, and which countries it may support when it becomes independent..
