Greenland Election's Ending Is an Unexpected One

A party that favors a gradual path to Greenland's independence from Denmark won a surprise victory in parliamentary elections, held in the shadow of President Trump's stated goal of taking control of the island one way or another. The center-right Demokraatit Party has pushed back against Trump's rhetoric, saying it is for Greenlanders to decide the future of the strategically important territory, which holds large reserves of the rare earth minerals needed to make everything from mobile phones to renewable energy technology. The Arctic island is also home to a US air base and straddles strategic air and sea routes in the North Atlantic, reports the AP. More:

• Key quote: The result should send a clear message to Trump that Denmark is not for sale, Demokraatit leader Jens-Friederik Nielsen told Sky News. "We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope."
• Ties to Denmark: A break from Denmark wasn't on the ballot, but it was on everyone's mind. Greenland was colonized 300 years ago by Denmark, which still exercises control over foreign and defense policy. The island of 56,000 people has been on a path toward independence since at least 2009, and the 31 lawmakers elected will shape the island's future as it debates whether the time has come to declare independence.
• The independence push: Four of the five main parties in the race sought independence, but disagreed on when and how. Second-place finisher Naleraq is the most aggressively pro-independence, while Demokraatit favors a more moderate pace.
• A surprising victory: Demokraatit won nearly 30% of the vote, compared to just 9% in the election four years ago, Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation KNR TV reported, while Naleraq came in second with almost 25%, up from nearly 12% in 2021. Demokraatit's upset victory over parties that have governed the territory for years indicated many in Greenland care just as much about social policies such as health care and education as they do about geopolitics.
• An early vote: Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede had called the early vote in February, saying the country needed to be united during a "serious time" unlike anything Greenland has ever experienced. His party, Inuit Ataqatigiit, or United Inuit, received 21% of the vote, a sharp drop from their top finish in the last election, when they took 36% of the vote. Inuit Ataqatigiit had been widely expected to win, followed by Siumut—two parties that had dominated Greenland's politics in recent years. Siumut came in fourth with 14% of the vote.

(More Greenland stories.)