Greenland is heading to the polls Tuesday with independence a key marketing campaign theme amid US President Donald Trump‘s push to take management of the mineral-rich island, a territory of Denmark.
Voters on the earth’s largest island, with a tiny inhabitants of round 56,000, are heading to solid their ballots to elect lawmakers for seats within the 31-member parliament, the Inatsisartut.
Polls open at 1100GMT and shut at 2200GMT, whereas there will probably be no exit polls within the elections.
The result’s anticipated on March 12 between 0100GMT and 0300GMT.
Sixteen seats are wanted for a majority within the chamber, the place members are elected for four-year intervals by proportional illustration, with six main events within the race.
Greenland is at present dominated by the coalition authorities of Prime Minister Mute Egede’s left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit occasion and Erik Jensen’s social democratic Siumut occasion, which management 12 and 10 seats, respectively.
The opposition consists of Pele Broberg’s Naleraq occasion with 4 seats, Jens Frederik Nielsen’s Demokraatit occasion with three seats, and Aqqalu Jerimiassen’s Atassut occasion with two seats.
Along with these 5, the Qulleq occasion, shaped in 2023 by former members of the Siumut and Naleraq events, additionally gained poll entry a month earlier than the election.
A January ballot by analysis company Verian means that Egede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit occasion might safe about 31% and Siumut about 9% of the vote.
The elections are anticipated to be the most-watched within the island’s historical past amid Trump’s renewed curiosity in taking on Greenland.
However, neither Denmark nor Greenland are eager to greenlight US possession of the island, as repeatedly expressed in response to Trump’s overtures.
Hours after Trump declared in his speech to a joint session of Congress final week that he intends to achieve management of the island “one way or the other,” Egede responded firmly, saying “Greenland is ours.”
Formerly a Danish colony, Greenland achieved dwelling rule in 1979 and stays a territory of Denmark.
In 2008, Greenland held a referendum the place 75.5% of voters authorized the Self-Government Act, which got here into impact on June 21, 2009, granting Greenland better autonomy inside the Kingdom of Denmark whereas retaining Danish management over overseas coverage, protection and safety.
Source: www.anews.com.tr