Greenland’s two parliamentary seats draw 27 candidates in upcoming election

Twenty-seven candidates are competing for Greenland’s two seats in Denmark’s Folketing (parliament), with several high-profile names on the ballot, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

Two sitting ministers from Greenland’s self-rule government are running: Anna Wangenheim (Demokraatit), the health minister and a trained nurse who secured the third-highest vote count in the 2022 election, and Naaja Nathanielsen (Inuit Ataqatigiit), who oversees raw materials, business, energy, justice, and gender equality. Nathanielsen has called for expanded Greenlandic authority in foreign policy, a review of the self-governance act, and “genuine equality” between Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Denmark.

Both ministers have faced criticism for seeking Folketing seats while holding cabinet posts. The opposition party Siumut withdrew from the ruling coalition in protest, with leader Aleqa Hammond accusing them of abandoning their duties.

Newcomers include Qarsoq Høegh-Dam (Naleraq), half-brother to outgoing MP Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, and Orla Joelsen (Atassut), a vocal critic of U.S. influence in Greenland with a large social media following. Joelsen organized major protests against U.S. involvement but received only 20 votes in Greenland’s 2023 parliamentary election.

Former Folketing members Kuupik Kleist (Inuit Ataqatigiit), Greenland’s premier during the 2009 self-rule transition, and Ellen Schärfe (Atassut) are also returning to the ballot. Kleist, 67, cited U.S. political pressure as his motivation, recalling fears of a military takeover earlier this year. Schärfe, who last held a seat in 2001, framed her candidacy as a defiant response to external threats.

At Siumut, deputy leader Ineqi Kielsen is campaigning on rural issues, arguing coastal communities need stronger representation in Copenhagen.

No opinion polls exist in Greenland, leaving the outcome uncertain until votes are counted.