Greenland votes: Independence on the line as Trump eyes investment

The world's largest island, inhabited by just 56,000 people, will have polling stations open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (11 a.m. to 10 p.m. UK time). Due to a lack of infrastructure and challenging Arctic conditions, no pre-election or exit polls are conducted in Greenland. The first results of Tuesday's election are expected overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Greenlanders will elect 31 representatives to the unicameral parliament (Inatsisartut). They can vote for six parties, including the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) of the current Prime Minister, Mute B. Egede, and the coalition partner, the social democratic Siumut party. Both groups advocate for the island's independence.

The third major force in the current parliament is the populist Naleraq party. This party has long been the strongest proponent of Greenland's independence from Denmark and advocates for the development of the local economy. It promotes a strong alliance with the United States and pushes for a new defence agreement with the USA, bypassing Danish mediation, as well as economic agreements.

Qulleq, a new party contesting the elections, supports rapid independence and the commencement of oil extraction on the island.

The Liberal Democrats and the conservative Atassut, which traditionally advocate for maintaining ties with Denmark, play a minor role in the current parliament.

One-third of Greenland's GDP is derived from grants provided by the Copenhagen government. A declaration of independence would result in the loss of these funds.

During the campaign, the most significant issue has been independence, which has come to the fore every time US President Donald Trump has spoken about acquiring Greenland. Prime Minister Mute B. Egede, who supports the country's independence from Denmark, declared that his island "is not for sale," and that its future will be decided by the Greenlanders.

In an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR, he stated that if he remains in power, he will form a government comprising parties striving for independence. The first task of the new cabinet is to create a plan to achieve this goal.

Even during the overnight period from Sunday to Monday, as the campaign in Greenland drew to a close, Donald Trump offered the island's inhabitants "billions of dollars" in American investments on the platform Truth Social. He promised that they would become wealthy.

So far, Greenlandic authorities have allowed an alliance with the Americans, but this has been purely economic. They are open to collaboration in extracting critical metals, which are becoming increasingly accessible due to melting ice, and infrastructure development.

Greenland's economy relies mainly on fishing, and there is hope for the development of tourism. However, the island faces numerous social challenges, including 40-50 suicides annually. Social services are costly due to the large distances, with the main towns and fishing settlements not connected by roads and requiring transport via ships, helicopters, or local aircraft.

The island does not have its own doctors or nurses, so medical personnel are temporarily contracted from other Nordic countries.

The government in Copenhagen will anxiously observe the results of the elections to Greenland's parliament. Following Trump's announcement of his interest in acquiring the island, talks have begun with the Greenland government about expanding autonomy, including in foreign affairs. Meanwhile, relations between Denmark and the USA have deteriorated due to Trump's claims that the Danes are not fulfilling their obligation to defend Greenland.