Greenland’s center-right opposition party has won a surprise general election victory, in a vote overshadowed by Donald Trump’s pledge to take over the semi-autonomous territory.
The Demokraatit party, which supports a gradual independence from Denmark, won nearly 30 percent of the vote, compared to just nine percent in the election four years ago.
The party has pushed back against Trump’s rhetoric, saying it is for Greenlanders to decide the future of the territory.
Ballots being counted in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday. The center-right Demokraatit party won a surprise victory in the election.
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/GETTY
Why It Matters
Tuesday’s election was a chance for Greenlanders to respond to Trump, who has been outspoken about his desire to control Greenland. Trump told a joint session of Congress last week that he thought the U.S. was going to get it “one way of the other.”
Demokraatit leader Jens-Friederik Nielsen said that the result should send a clear message to Trump that Greenland is not for sale.
“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,” he told Sky News.
What To Know
The Demokraatit party came first in Tuesday’s election with 29.9 percent of the vote. It was followed by Naleraq, the most aggressively pro-independence party, on 24.5 percent. Naleraq supports closer relations with the U.S, but not for Greenland to become an American territory.
The incumbent governing parties, the center-left Inuit Ataqatigiit and left-wing Siumut, were headed for third and fourth places with 21.4 percent and 14.7 percent of the vote.
The Demokraatit party’s strong results mean it will get a chance to try to form a coalition government.
Trump has long expressed an interest in acquiring Greenland, and first proposed purchasing the territory in 2019. He later repeated his interest following his presidential election victory in November 2024.
Both Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede have repeatedly rejected Trump’s suggestions.
In January, Egede said Greenlanders “don’t want to be American,” whilst Frederiksen insisted “there must be respect for territory and the sovereignty of states.”
A poll conducted in January by Verian, on behalf of the Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic publication Sermitsiaq, found that only six percent of Greenlanders were in favor of the territory coming under U.S. sovereignty.
In contrast, 85 percent were opposed to the idea, whilst nine percent said they were unsure. The survey took place between January 22 and 27 and included 497 Greenlandic citizens over the age of 18.
What People Are Saying
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Wednesday that the election was “a joyful day and a celebration of democracy.”
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen congratulated the Demokraatit party and said the future Greenlandic government would likely have to “deal with massive pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump,” according to Danish broadcaster DR.
He added that “it’s not the case that you can just take part of the Danish Realm — the future of Greenland is based on what the Greenlandic people and government want.”
Seth Abramson, an American political columnist, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Trump and Musk lost the election in Greenland as hard as you can lose an election in a country you have virtually nothing to do with and never will.”
Dwayne Menezes, managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative, told the Associated Press: “What approach to independence will win the day will ultimately depend on if Demokraatit decides to form a coalition government, and if so, with which party.”
What Happens Next
The Demokraatit party will now try to form a coalition government with other parties over the coming days.
The negotiations will almost certainly result in a government that opposes Greenland becoming an American territory.
