THE right-wing Democrats have scored an unexpected victory in Greenland’s parliamentary elections, winning the largest share of the votes cast.
Both the Democrats and Point of Orientation, which came second, favour Greenland’s independence from Denmark, but the two parties differ on the pace of change.
The Democrats won 30 per cent of the vote on Tuesday, compared to just 9 per cent in the previous election four years ago, the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Point of Orientation received almost 25 per cent of the vote, up from just under 12 per cent in the 2021 election.
“I think this is a historic result in Greenland’s political history,” said Democrats leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported as Mr Nielsen as saying that his party would reach out to all others to negotiate Greenland’s future political course.
Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede’s United Inuit party received 21 per cent of the vote.
US President Donald Trump has been outspoken about his desire to win control of Greenland, telling a joint session of Congress last week that he thought the US was going to get it “one way or the other.”
Greenland has rich deposits of the rare earth minerals needed to make everything from mobile phones to renewable energy technology.