Greenlanders will head to the polls to vote in their country’s parliamentary election on Tuesday, in what will likely prove to be a historic vote not because of any seismic shifts within the nation but because of the geopolitical message it will send.
Independence from Denmark is not on the ballot itself, but who is elected to Greenland’s parliament will signal how the country could move forward in not only divorcing itself from Copenhagen, but in handling what some critics have perceived as threats issued by President Donald Trump.
Parliamentary elections on the world’s largest island, a nation of less than 60,000 people, have previously picked up scant coverage due to their relatively low impact on world affairs.
But all that changed in January when, ahead of his inauguration, Trump refused to rule out the possibility of ‘acquiring’ Greenland through economic or military means and has since repeated his interest in the strategically important island.
While the majority of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark, they also align in their opposition to Trump’s ambitions for the island nation.
There is not a single lawmaker in Greenland that ran for election in this cycle on becoming a part of the U.S., but the leading opposition party known as Naleraq, which currently holds just five of the 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament, may have a solution to achieve independence while also appealing to Trump’s interests.
Qupanuk Olsen, a 39-year-old running under the Naleraq party who has garnered a massive social media presence with over a million followers spread over Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, shared a video in January where she addressed questions regarding her opinion on the matter.
Without directly noting her position on Trump’s ambitions, as she said she wants to keep her social media presence as ‘A-political as possible,’ she emphasized her support for expanding Greenland’s partnerships.
‘I strongly believe in Greenland’s independence,’ she went on to say, ‘To achieve this we must expand our collaborations and establish business relationships with countries beyond Denmark.
‘We Greenlanders, Kalaallit, deserve to be independent,’ she continued in reference to the Greenlandic Inuit ethnic group. ‘And I hope we will strengthen our connections with our fellow Inuit in Canada and Alaska significantly more in the near future.’
Though Greenland won self-rule in 1979, with Denmark continuing to oversee issues relating to defense and foreign policy, the Naleraq party has pushed for a swift transition to complete independence.
The leading opposition party has argued this could be achieved by bolstering existing business opportunities like its fishing industry, as well as by establishing defensive agreements with nations like the U.S., in which it would allow Washington to continue to operate its military interests from the island in exchange for security assurances without becoming a U.S. territory.
Though it remains unclear if such a deal would win over Trump, who could be viewing the Artic nation as an untapped opportunity for its rare earth minerals and oil and gas reserves – which Greenland has blocked even the EU from accessing.
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions over whether expanding ties with Greenland would appease Trump’s ambitions, though on Sunday Trump reiterated his position on the island nation.
‘As I made clear during my Joint Address to Congress, the United States strongly supports the people of Greenland’s right to determine their own future,’ he said on his social media platform Truth Social. ‘We will continue to keep you safe, as we have since World War II.’
‘We are ready to invest billions of dollars to create new jobs and make you rich – And, if you so choose, we welcome you to be a part of the Greatest Nation anywhere in the World, the United States of America,’ he added.
Trump drew rebuke in some quarters following his address to Congress, where his tone on Greenland was softer than previous remarks, but he concluded by saying, ‘One way or the other, we’re going to get it.’
According to a January poll, some 85% of Greenlanders oppose Trump’s push to make Greenland a part of the U.S., including Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has been not only a huge proponent of independence from Denmark, but who has also been staunchly opposed to Trump’s interest in Greenland.
Egede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which currently holds 11 seats, is expected to pick up an even greater majority following the Tuesday election.
Egede, who has repeatedly told the U.S. president that Greenland is ‘not for sale,’ on Monday said Trump’s unpredictability was sowing international chaos.
‘The things that are happening in the world right now worry me quite a lot,’ Egede told Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). ‘There is a world order that is faltering on many fronts, and perhaps a president in the United States who is very unpredictable in a way that makes people feel insecure.’