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.
The Inatsisartut, also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Danish realm. Established in 1979, it meets in Inatsisartut, on the islet of Nuuk Center in central Nuuk.
Inuit Ataqatigiit is a democratic socialist, separatist political party in Greenland that aims to make Greenland an independent state. The party, founded as a political organisation in 1976, was born out of the increased youth radicalism in Denmark during the 1970s. Traditionally in favour of a socialist economy, the party has been criticised from the left of having gradually moved towards a capitalist approach, supporting a market economy and privatisation. Inuit Ataqatigiit believes that an independent Greenland should be competitive while fighting to keep the environment clean.
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.
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist is a Greenlandic politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Greenland between 2009 and 2013. A member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, he was the first Prime Minister not affiliated with Siumut.
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, Greenland is a parliamentary representative democratic territory, in which 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.
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.
After being a part of the European Communities (EC) for twelve years, Greenland withdrew in 1985. It had joined the EC in 1973 as a county of Denmark, even though a majority in Greenland was against joining. In a consultative referendum in 1982, 53% of the electorate of Greenland voted to withdraw from the Communities. This latter referendum became possible after the introduction of home rule in Greenland in 1979. Following its withdrawal, which was regulated through the Greenland Treaty, the relationship between Greenland and the EC was partly settled through an association under Overseas Countries and territories (OCT) status. In recent years, the Greenlandic withdrawal from the European Communities has marginally been referred to as "Greenxit".
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.
Henriette Ellen Kathrine Vilhelmine Rasmussen née Jeremiassen was a Greenlandic educator, journalist, women's rights activist and politician. In 1992, she provided support for the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in 1996, was appointed principal advisor to the ILO in connection with the 1989 Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention. As a member of Inuit Ataqatigiit from the early 1980s, she strove for Greenlandic independence from Denmark and served as Greenland's Minister of Culture and Education (2003–2005).
Múte Inequnaaluk Bourup Egede is a Greenlandic politician currently serving as the seventh prime minister of Greenland, a position he has held since April 2021. He has served as a member of the Inatsisartut, the parliament of Greenland, since 2015, 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.
The first cabinet of Múte Bourup Egede was the Greenlandic government from 23 April 2021 to 4 April 2022. It was a coalition consisting of the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit and the centrist Naleraq. It was replaced by the Egede's second cabinet, when Siumut replaced Naleraq.
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 were transferred to the premier of Greenland Múte Bourup Egede in September 2021 after a controversy. Broberg was minister for finance in 2018.
Tillie Martinussen is a Greenlandic politician of the Cooperation Party. She was a member of the Inatsisartut, Greenland's parliament, from 2018 to 2021. She helped form the Cooperation Party in 2018, and was the only member of the party to be represented in the Inatsisartut from that year's election; she did not return to parliament after the 2021 election. She is an opponent to Greenlandic independence.
Mariane Paviasen is a Greenlandic politician. She was elected to the Inatsisartut, the parliament of Greenland, during the 2021 general election. She is a member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party and a vocal opponent to uranium mining.
Jens Napãtôᴋ', also known as Jens Napaattooq, is a Greenlandic politician. He is a member of the Inatsisartut, the parliament of Greenland, representing the Naleraq party. He was elected in 2021, made a chairman of two committees, and took a leave of absence after a video surfaced allegedly showing him threatening to attack someone in his home. He underwent treatment for alcohol, and returned to the Inatsisartut by September 2021. He was removed as chairman from his committees in April 2022. In June 2022, he was elected deputy leader of Naleraq.
Naimángitsoᴋ' Petersen was a Greenlandic politician. He was a member of the Atassut party and later Inuit Ataqatigiit. He was a city councilor for Qaanaaq (Thule), and served as its mayor from 2001 to 2005, changing parties during his term. He was also a member of the Inatsisartut, Greenland's parliament, from 1995 to 1999.
The spiral case is an ongoing investigation into a birth control campaign by Danish government in Greenland, primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. Often without consent and under the direction of Danish government officials, Danish doctors placed intrauterine devices in thousands of Greenlandic Inuit girls and women. The program was created to control Greenland's birth rate.
