Naleraq absence forces Greenland parliament to postpone votes

Greenland’s parliament postponed several votes on Tuesday because too few members were present, DR reported.

The Greenlandic news outlet Sermitsiaq reported the postponements, citing a statement from Vivian Motzfeldt on behalf of the parliament’s presidium. Motzfeldt said it was “sad” that members of a particular party had failed to meet their obligations by not taking part in parliamentary work.

She did not name the party. But the governing coalition parties, Demokraatit, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Atassut, accused opposition party Naleraq in a joint statement on Tuesday of failing to attend the chamber. At least 16 members must be present for the 31-seat parliament to make decisions.

The coalition said the members had no valid reason for their absence and called on the presidium to review what happened and consider action under parliamentary rules.

Naleraq, in turn, criticised the coalition’s attendance, saying its 21 seats were enough to ensure the parliament could make decisions. Party leader Pele Broberg asked where coalition members had gone and who had decided they should travel during the session.

Atassut’s Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen wrote on Facebook that week 44 is traditionally used for committee work and Nordic meetings. The reports did not say how many members from each party were absent or which votes were postponed.

Sermitsoq said it had sought comment from Inatsisartut speaker Kim Kielsen and Greenland’s head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Neither had responded by the time the reports were published.