Greenland election: party opposed to rare earth Arctic mining project wins
- Election result casts doubt on Arctic mine project for Australia-based company with Chinese ownership
- Gaining access to such resources is one of the many arm wrestles between the US and China
A left-wing environmentalist party opposed to a controversial mining project won a clear victory in Greenland’s parliamentary election, results released on Wednesday showed.
With 36.6 per cent of the vote, Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) was ahead of Siumut, a social democratic party that has dominated politics in the Danish territory since it gained autonomy in 1979.
“The people have spoken,” 34-year-old IA leader Mute Egede said in a post to Facebook early on Wednesday. “Your trust commits us to a great responsibility which we will strive to meet.”
Egede, a member of the Inatsisartut since 2015, took over the reins of the left-green party a little over two years ago. Speaking to KNR early on Wednesday, he said: “I may be young, but that is also my strength.”
After a victory in 2009, this is only the second time the party has dethroned Siumut as the largest party in Greenland, a vast territory with a population of only 56,000, of which some 41,000 are eligible to vote.
IA, which was previously in opposition, is expected to grab 12 of the 31 seats in the Inatsisartut, the local parliament, up from eight in the outgoing body.
