Greenland PM Calls Election With Trump Pressure Mounting
(Bloomberg) -- Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede has called a general election for next month, with global attention drawn to the island after US President Donald Trump said he wants to wrest control of the territory from Denmark.
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The vote will be held on March 11, about four weeks before an April 6 election deadline. Egede proposed the date earlier on Tuesday, and the territory’s parliament approved it later during a parliamentary session.
“We’re in the midst of a serious time, a time we’ve never seen in our country,” Egede said in a Facebook post, calling for unity among Greenlanders.
Before setting the voting date, the Greenlandic parliament approved a new bill that bans foreign political donations to prevent election meddling. The law was proposed to “safeguard Greenland’s political integrity,” citing geopolitical interests in the island, where an “allied superpower have expressed interest in taking over and controlling Greenland.”
Trump’s interest has sparked concerns of possible foreign interference and the Arctic country has already seen a rise in fake social media posts promoting independence for Greenland. Political experts have also described the surprise visit in January by the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., as an early attempt to deepen the divide with Denmark.
While a majority of the parliament’s current 31 lawmakers want to increase independence from Denmark, Greenland’s population is overwhelmingly against leaving the Danish realm in favor of joining the US, a recent poll showed.
Most Greenlandic politicians have also rejected Trump’s idea to take over the island, but the demand has caused internal disruptions, including in the Siumut party, which is part of the government coalition.
Kuno Fencker, a member of the party in parliament, went on a US tour last month, meeting with Trump supporters. His trip has since been criticized by other members of the government parties, who have blamed him for hurting Greenland’s interests.
Trump’s proposal triggered a standoff between Copenhagen and Washington after the president demanded to take control of Greenland for national security reasons. The US already has an airbase in the northwestern part of the country. But the president has threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark if the country doesn’t give him full ownership, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to try drum up support from European allies.
Siumut, a social democratic party, has dominated Greenlandic politics since home rule began in 1979. In recent years, however, the more leftist Inuit Ataqatigiit party, of which Egede is leader, has gained influence.
Both Egede and Frederiksen have repeatedly said the island can’t be sold and that it’s up to Greenlanders to decide its fate.
--With assistance from Ott Ummelas.
(Updates to add that date has now been approved by parliament, from first paragraph)
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