Brussels, 11 March 2025
The recent Greenlandic parliamentary elections, held on March 11, 2025, have resulted in a significant victory for the center-right opposition party, Demokraatit. This party, also known as the Democrats, secured approximately 29.9% of the votes, surpassing the ruling leftist coalition led by the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which garnered 21.4%. The Naleraq party, advocating for a swifter path to independence, finished second with 24.5% of the votes.
Key Points of the Election Outcome
Demokraatit’s Victory: The party’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, emphasized a gradual approach to independence, prioritizing economic stability and increased business investment to support welfare before pursuing full independence.
International Context: The election was heavily influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about acquiring Greenland, which heightened international attention and geopolitical stakes in the Arctic.
Voter Participation: Voter turnout was notably high, with nearly 74% of eligible voters casting their ballots, reflecting the importance of the election amidst external pressures.
Future Government Formation: Demokraatit is expected to form a coalition government, with potential partners including the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which also supports a cautious approach to independence.
Independence Aspirations: All major parties in Greenland advocate for eventual independence from Denmark, though they differ in their timelines and strategies.
This election marks a significant shift in Greenland’s political landscape, with a focus on balancing economic development and social policies while navigating the complex issue of independence.
What are the main policies of the Demokraatit party?
The Demokraatit party in Greenland is a center-right, liberal, and unionist political party. Their main policies focus on several key areas:
Gradual Independence: The party supports independence from Denmark but advocates for a gradual process. They emphasize the need for economic stability and self-determination before pursuing full independence.
Economic Reforms: Demokraatit champions pro-business policies aimed at fostering a self-sufficient economy. They seek to encourage private sector expansion, particularly in mining, and create incentives for entrepreneurship while reducing bureaucratic hurdles.
Education and Housing: Improving educational standards and addressing the housing situation are major priorities for the party.
International Relations: Demokraatit seeks closer ties with Europe and has expressed concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland, viewing it as a threat to their political independence.
Resource Management: The party opposes bans on certain mining activities, such as uranium mining, which they believe could hinder economic development.
Overall, Demokraatit’s policies aim to balance economic growth with social welfare and gradual political independence.
How did Trump’s comments influence the election results?
U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments and actions significantly influenced the Greenlandic election results by elevating the issue of independence and sovereignty to the forefront of the electoral discourse. Here are key ways his comments impacted the election:
Heightened Awareness and Resistance: Trump’s persistent interest in acquiring Greenland, including his remarks about taking control “one way or another,” was perceived as a threat to Greenland’s political independence. This heightened awareness and resistance among Greenlanders, who overwhelmingly oppose becoming part of the U.S. (85% according to a January poll).
Emphasis on Independence: Trump’s comments accelerated the discussion on independence from Denmark. Both major parties, Demokraatit and Naleraq, advocate for independence, though they differ in their timelines. The election results reflect a strong desire for self-determination and a rejection of external control.
Rejection of Trump’s Offers: Despite Trump’s promises of significant investments, Greenlanders rejected his proposals. The party most aligned with Trump’s views, Qulleq, received only 1% of the votes, indicating a strong rejection of his influence.
Unity and Political Mobilization: Trump’s remarks prompted calls for unity among Greenlanders. Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede emphasized the need for a broad coalition government to withstand external pressures, reflecting a desire for political cohesion in the face of international interest.
Overall, Trump’s comments galvanized Greenlanders around the issue of independence and sovereignty, leading to a strong turnout and a clear message that Greenland is not for sale or subject to external control.
System overview
Qinersineq.gl is used to collect voting results from polling places across Greenland. The actual voting process is still conducted manually with paper ballots and conventional ballot boxes. Information on the number of votes tallied by each polling place is made public as soon as the polling data is entered into the electoral system by local municipal officials. The electoral system can be used for parliamentary elections, in which the goal is to select a number of candidates, and for national referendums, where the aim is to gauge voters’ opinions on a specific topic.
Parliamentary elections
During elections the country is divided into a number of constituencies (one district for elections to the Greenlandic parliament, Inatsisartut, a number of districts to elect Greenland’s representatives to the Danish parliament, and five districts for municipal elections), and a number of party candidates and independent candidates run in each district. Greenland’s political parties are generally represented by candidates in every district, but this is not always the case. For example, some parties do not field candidates in every municipality during municipal elections. A candidate can belong to a political party or run as an independent candidate.
Voters have the right to cast ballots in the districts in which they reside on a given date, and this can vary slightly for different types of elections. There may be special rules for persons with temporary residence. Each voter may cast one ballot either for a party, a candidate from a party, or an independent candidate. Lists of registered voters are available at every polling place and used by election officials to verify that each eligible voter casts only one ballot. When the election has been completed and the votes have been counted, the results are entered into Qinersineq.gl. The electoral system is publicly accessible, so the election results are shown in real time as they are entered.
Since the votes for candidates are entered for each party one at a time, this can produce relatively large fluctuations in the results shown for each polling place as each batch is entered for the individual parties. The final results for the individual polling places are only shown after all of the votes have been entered. It is therefore important to determine the extent to which the ballots cast at a specific polling place have been certified as final or polling data is still being entered. Qinersineq.gl can present summaries of the election results at one or more polling places. Results are displayed either in detail or summarized by parties and independent candidates.
- ‘Number of registered voters’ indicates the number of voters on the electoral register – i.e. how many persons are eligible to vote.
- ‘Votes counted’ indicates how many ballots have been cast in the ballot boxes.
- ‘Blank’ indicates the number of blank votes in the ballot boxes, i.e. ballots on which nothing has been written.
- ‘Invalid’ indicates the number of ballots in the ballot boxes on which something has been written, but it cannot with certainty be determined how the voter has voted, including the ballots that have presumably not been legally produced.
- ‘Valid votes in total’ is the sum total of the counted ballots minus the ‘blank’ and ‘invalid’ ballots.
- ‘Turnout’ is calculated by taking the number of ‘votes counted’ and expressing this as a percentage of the ‘number of registered voters’.
- The percentages of the votes received by the parties and the candidates are calculated as the number of votes for the party or the candidate in relation to the total number of ‘votes counted”.
Allocation of seats
The so-called D’Hondt method is used to allocate seats. The formal allocation is completed manually after all of the votes have been tallied and certified. The concrete allocation of seats and substitutes for elected representatives is entered into Qinersineq.gl. This makes the results immediately available to the public.
National referendums
Referendums are held to determine the electorate’s opinion on a specific topic or proposal. The entire country serves as a single voting district during national referendums. Voting percentages are calculated in the same manner as for parliamentary elections. Qinersineq.gl has not yet been used for a national referendum and the system’s publicly accessible results pages have thus not been prepared to display referendum results.
Ownership and rights
Qinersineq.gl is owned by the Greenland Government Authorities, Ministry of Municipalities, Settlements, Outlying Districts, Infrastructure and Housing, Interior Division.
Sources: Perplexity Pro (e-summary, prompted by Insight EU) and Qinersineq.gl (election results)