Greenland travels to polls when Trump eyes territory

Greenland residents headed to the polls on Tuesday with a one-vote vote, which has attracted outside attention in the past few years – but it could prove crucial to the future of the Arctic.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated interest in gaining Greenland has been firmly in the spotlight and has inspired a long debate on the island’s future connections to Copenhagen.

“There has never been a spotlight like Greenland before,” said Nauja Bianco, a Danish green space policy expert.

Greenland is controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000 km (1,860 miles) – about 300 years. It manages its own internal affairs, but Copenhagen’s decision on foreign and defense policies.

Now, five of the six parties on the vote prefer Greenland’s independence from Denmark, which only differs in the speed it should be.

Masana Egede, editor of Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq, said the debate on independence was “Trump’s steroids.”

The island’s strategic location and untapped mineral resources have attracted the attention of the US president. He first proposed the idea of ​​buying Greenland in the first semester of 2019.

Since taking office again in January, he has reiterated his intention to acquire the territory. Leaders in Greenland and Denmark repeatedly rejected his request.

However, Trump doubled again when he spoke to the U.S. Congress last week. “We need Greenland for national security. One way or another,” he said.

In Nuuk, his words were nervous with the politicians who quickly condemned them. “We deserve respect, and I think the president of the United States hasn’t done it lately since he took office,” Prime Minister Mute Egge said.

Nevertheless, American interest has sparked calls for Greenland to leave Denmark, with many debates focusing on when, if not-independence process began.

Nauja Bianco pointed out that Greenland’s independence goal is nothing new and has been produced for decades.

A series of revelations about the Danish past abuse of Inuits hurt Greenland’s public opinion about Denmark. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Egged said the territory should be freed from the “shackles of colonialism.”

But this is the first time that the subjects have taken center stage in the election.

Prime Minister Mute Egge’s party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) tends to move towards autonomy step by step. “Citizens must feel safe,” he told local media.

Arctic expert Martin Breum said Egge’s handling of Trump’s challenges and the strong remarks of Denmark, whose colonial mistakes in the past, “will bring him a lot of votes.”

Smaller competitors may also gain ground and potentially change the league.

Opposition Naleraq hopes to start the divorce lawsuit immediately from Copenhagen and make a closer defense with Washington.

Party leader Pele Broberg pointed to Greenland’s EU resignation and Brexit, saying Greenland could “rule the Kingdom of Denmark for three years.”

Naleraq has the largest number of candidates and gained momentum through a wave of dissatisfaction with Denmark.

“Naleraq will also be a bigger factor in parliament,” Breum said.

However, the center-right parties believe it is too early to promote independence.

Party candidate Justus Hansen told Reuters: “The economy has to be stronger than it is today.”

Greenland’s economy is driven by fishing, and government spending relies on Denmark’s annual subsidies.

Newspaper editor Masaana Egede said talking about Trump and the independents masked other key issues.

“It’s an election and we should talk about health care, caring for the elderly and social issues. Almost everything is about independence.”

According to recent polls, almost 80% of Greenlanders return to their future countries.

About 44,000 people are eligible to vote, and given the small number and few polls, the results are difficult to predict.

Even though most Greenlanders favor independence, Survey shows If this means a lower standard of living, then half of the enthusiasm for independence will be reduced.

A poll found that 85% of Greenlanders do not want to be part of the United States, while nearly half see Trump’s interest as a threat.

One fear in some Greenlands is how long the Arctic can remain independent and whether it will explode from Denmark, just to have another country “stand on our shores and start taking over”, Masaana Egede said.

Experts say such concerns may lead the vote to keep things to the status quo.

Although Greenland’s right to self-determination was granted by the 2009 Self-Rules Act, there are several steps to be taken in that territory, including holding a referendum.

This means gaining complete independence, said Kaj Kleist, an experienced Greenland politician and civil servant who prepares the Self-Rules Law.

He added: “Before achieving this, there was a lot of preparation and negotiation with the Danish government.”

Regardless of the election’s outcome, experts do not believe that Greenland can be independent until Trump’s second term ends in 2028.

The expected result is in the early hours of Wednesday.