By Sama Marwan,
Greenland’s Prime Minister stated that voters on the Arctic island face a “historic choice” today as they cast their ballots in a pivotal election closely watched by Europe and the United States.
Tuesday’s vote has drawn global attention following repeated assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump about his desire to acquire the self-governing territory—using military and economic power if necessary—according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
The election, occurring amid growing calls for independence, is also under close scrutiny from Denmark, which ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and still controls its foreign and security policies.
Greenland, along with the Faroe Islands, remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark. However, Copenhagen fears that strong voter support for the largest opposition party, Naleraq—a vocal pro-independence group advocating closer ties with the U.S.—could strengthen Greenland’s relationship with Washington.
On Monday, Greenland’s Prime Minister and leader of the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party, Múte Bourup Egede, accused Trump of being “unpredictable” and failing to treat Greenlanders with respect.
“It is a decisive choice for us. The events unfolding in the world right now deeply concern me. The global order is stumbling on many fronts, and we may have a U.S. president who is highly unpredictable, making people feel insecure,” Egede told Denmark’s DR broadcaster.
“We deserve to be treated with respect, and I don’t believe the U.S. president has done that since taking office,” he added.
In his speech to Congress last week, Trump stated that he would acquire Greenland “one way or another.” On Sunday, he attempted to appeal directly to Greenland’s residents by reiterating his invitation to join the United States, promising to “invest billions of dollars to create new jobs and make you rich.”
However, while many residents of Nuuk are open to strengthening cooperation with the U.S., the idea of Trump’s administration taking over Greenland has been widely rejected.
Egede said Trump’s recent comments were unhelpful.
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s Minister of Natural Resources, Equality, Business, and Justice, and a fellow member of the IA party, called Trump’s remarks “rude and inappropriate.” She added, “This is the wrong way to conduct foreign policy if you want to build a closer relationship with Greenland.”
Among the six parties contesting the election, only Naleraq has promised an early independence referendum. All parties, except the conservative Atassut, support secession—though with varying degrees of urgency.
