Greenland is the world's largest island,located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans,east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America,Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for more than a millennium,beginning in 986. The majority of its residents are Inuit,whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada,gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.
The politics of Greenland,an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark,function in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency,whereby the prime minister is the head of government,and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament Inatsisartut. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Greenland has full autonomy on most matters,except on policies and decisions affecting the region including negotiations with the devolved legislatures and the Folketing.
Nuuk is the capital and largest city of Greenland. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other countries closest to the capital are Iqaluit and St. John's in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland. Nuuk contains almost a third of Greenland's population and its tallest building. Nuuk is also the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. In January 2021,it had a population of 18,800.
Hans Enoksen is a Greenlandic politician who served as the third prime minister of Greenland from 2002 to 2009.
Jonathan Jakob Jørgen Otto Motzfeldt was a Greenlandic priest and politician. He is considered one of the leading figures in the establishment of Greenland Home Rule. Jonathan Motzfeldt was the first prime minister of Greenland. He was Greenland's prime minister from 1979 until 1991 and again from 1997 until 2002. He was Greenland's longest serving prime minister and won the most elections of any prime minister of Greenland. He is considered a Centre-left politician and Greenland became a recognized country during his tenure.
Lars-Emil Johansen is a Greenlandic politician who served as the second prime minister of Greenland from 1991 to 1997,and Speaker of the Inatsisartut from 2013 to 2018.
Aqqaluk Lynge was the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council from 1995 to 2002. He is a former member of the Inatsisartut and one of the founders of the Greenlandic political party Inuit Ataqatigiit. An indigenous Kalaallit,in 2004 Lynge became a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,which is an advisory body to the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council. He was a visiting fellow at the Dartmouth College Institute of Arctic Studies in 2008 and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the college in 2012. Lynge has also become known as an author of poetry and essays,published in Greenlandic,Danish,English and French.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) rights in Greenland are some of the most extensive in the Americas and the world,relatively similar to those in Denmark proper in Europe. Same-sex sexual activity is legal,with an equal age of consent,and there are some anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people. Same-sex couples had access to registered partnerships,which provided them with nearly all of the rights provided to married opposite-sex couples,from 1996 to 2016. On 1 April 2016,a law repealing the registered partnership act and allowing for same-sex marriages to be performed came into effect.
Naalakkersuisut,is the chief executive body and the government of Greenland since the island became self-governing in 1979. An "autonomous territory" of the Kingdom of Denmark,takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic territory,whereby the premier leads the cabinet,and of a multi-party system.
The Inuit Party was a separatist party in Greenland,formed by dissidents from the then-governing Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA). The party was opposed to the so-called big-scale law,and wanted a referendum on the law. Mette Lynge represented the party in the Naalakkersuisut (Government) and was minister for dwellings,nature and environment. At the 2014 Greenlandic general election the party did not win any seats in parliament.
Greenlandic people in Denmark are residents of Denmark with Greenlandic or Greenlandic Inuit heritage. According to StatBank Greenland,as of 2020,there were 16 780 people born in Greenland living in Denmark,a figure representing almost one third of the population of Greenland. According to a 2007 Danish government report,there were 18 563 Greenlandic people living in Denmark. The exact number is difficult to calculate because of the lack of differentiation between Greenlandic and Danish heritage in Danish government records and also due to the fact that how people identify is not always reflected by their birthplace. As of 2018,there were 2,507 Greenlanders enrolled in education in Denmark.
Aaja Chemnitz Arnatsiaq Larsen is a Greenlandic politician,who is a member of the Danish Folketing for the Inuit Ataqatigiit,representing one of the two parliament seats for Greenland.
Juliane Henningsen is a Greenlandic politician who was elected to the Danish Parliament in 2007 as one of Greenland's two representatives. She served until 2011 when she was not re-elected. In 2015,she left politics to join the management team at the Halibut Greenland fishing company in her hometown,Ilulissat.
General elections were held in Greenland on 24 April 2018,electing all 31 members of Parliament. The elections were required to be held no later than 26 November 2018,four years after the previous elections on 27 November 2014,but Prime Minister Kim Kielsen chose to call the elections seven months early. His Siumut party remained the largest in Parliament,but lost two seats,whilst Inuit Ataqatigiit,the second-largest party,lost three seats. The smaller Democrats and Partii Naleraq gained seats,with the newly formed Cooperation Party and Nunatta Qitornai parties both entering Parliament.
The Cooperation Party is a Greenlandic liberal party founded in March 2018 by Inatsisartut MPs Michael Rosing and Tillie Martinussen,both formerly of the Democrats.
Vittus Qujaukitsoq is a Greenlandic politician. Qujaukitsoq was appointed as Minister of Finance and Interior of Aleqa Hammond cabinet from May 2013 to November 2014. After November 2014 to 2017 Qujaukitsoq was Minister of Industry,Labour,Trade and Foreign Affairs of Kim Kielsen cabinet. After disagreements on complaint to United Nations for environmental restoration of former U.S. Military installations in Greenland. He was previously a member of Siumut,and served as Minister of Industry,Labour,Trade and Foreign Affairs,caretaker as Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs on two occasions during 2014-2017 in the Kielsen government.
Múte Inequnaaluk Bourup Egede is a Greenlandic politician currently serving as the seventh prime minister of Greenland since April 2021. He has served as a member of the Inatsisartut,the parliament of Greenland,since,and furthermore as chairman of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party since 2018.
Snap general elections were held in Greenland on 6 April 2021 alongside local elections. Inuit Ataqatigiit emerged as the largest party,winning 12 of the 31 seats in the Inatsisartut. The governing Siumut party finished second with 10 seats.
Events in the year 2021 in Greenland.
Pele Broberg is a Greenlandic politician (Naleraq),entrepreneur and pilot. He became minister of foreign affairs,trade,climate and business in April 2021,but foreign affairs and climate was transferred to premier of Greenland Múte Bourup Egede in September 2021 after a controversy. Broberg was minister for finance in 2018.
