By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Tom Little
NUUK, Greenland (Reuters) – Greenland’s pro-business Demokraatit Party has surged to victory pushing economic reforms to the political foreground after an election dominated by independence and U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to control the mineral-rich island.
The Demokraatit Party, which favours gradual independence from Denmark, more than tripled its seats to 10 in the 31-seat Inatsisartut parliament, according to results released on Wednesday, and will begin talks to form a coalition.
The strongly pro-independence Naleraq doubled their seats to eight from the prior election, while the ruling coalition lost almost half of its share of the vote.
“People want change,” Demokraatit leader Jens Frederik Nielsen told reporters in Nuuk after the final vote count. “We don’t want independence tomorrow, we want to build a good foundation.”
Independence became the central campaign theme in Tuesday’s election after Trump’s repeated insistence that the semi-autonomous Danish territory is vital to U.S. national security and will eventually become part of the United States.
At three times the size of Texas, with a population of just 57,000, the Arctic nation contains vast mineral resources, including rare earth minerals critical for high-tech industries, ranging from electric vehicles to missile systems.
Despite gains for Naleraq, Rasmus Leander Nielsen, associate professor at the University of Greenland, said Demokraatit was more likely to form a broad coalition with one or both of the outgoing ruling parties, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut.
Greenland has been a formal part of Denmark since 1953. In 1979 it gained some autonomy, although Copenhagen still controls foreign affairs, defence and monetary policy and contributes nearly $1 billion annually to the economy.
The island won the right to seek full independence through a referendum in 2009, but so far has chosen not to do so, on concerns over the economy’s ability to be self-sufficient.
A poll in January showed the majority of Greenlanders want independence but are divided as to how fast it should happen, with many favouring a more gradual transition to self-rule.
GOOD NEWS FOR TRUMP?
In the election campaign, Democraatik’s Nielsen rebuffed Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, calling it “a threat to our political independence”.
However, the election result has moved business development and the mining agenda to the centre of Greenlandic politics, which some said may ultimately favour Trump’s agenda.
“If you add up the election result, voters were driven by business development and independence. And that’s good news for Trump,” said Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a professor in political science at the University of Copenhagen.
“If Trump can negotiate an agreement that gives the U.S. assurances that Greenland will not open up its society to Chinese bases, Chinese mines or Russian influence, then it’s sort of under control. And then Trump can… say that he has gained access to minerals.”
Previous election campaigns in Greenland have focused on how to allocate the funds – accounting for half of its budget – that the island receives from Denmark.
Fishing remains its top industry, accounting for about 95% of exports, and although it contains mineral wealth, it has been slow to extract it due to environmental concerns, severe weather and competition from China, which dominates the rare earth sector.
Demokraatit wants reforms that will help create a self-sustaining economy by stimulating private sector growth, particularly in the mining sector, and to create incentives for entrepreneurship while reducing bureaucratic obstacles.
The party, which has also advocated for closer ties with Europe, voted against a 2021 ban on uranium mining that halted development of Kvanefjeld, one of the world’s biggest rare earth deposits.
Greenland’s public sector currently plays a substantial role in the economy, holding stakes in numerous companies.
In Tuesday’s election the ruling Inuit Ataqatigiit party lost four of its 11 seats, while its coalition partner, the social-democratic Siumut party, lost six of its 10 seats.
Combined they gained 36% of votes, down from 66% in 2021.
Overall turnout was 70.9%, up 5 percentage points from the previous election four years ago, voting data showed.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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