Politics of Greenland

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The politics of Greenland , an autonomous country (Greenlandic : nuna, Danish : land) 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 (English: Parliament of Denmark).

Contents

Executive powers

Main office-holders
OfficeNamePartySince
King Frederik X 14 January 2024
High Commissioner Mikaela Engell 1 April 2011
Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede Inuit Ataqatigiit 23 April 2021

Executive power rests with a high commissioner, and a prime minister heads the Cabinet. The high commissioner of Greenland is appointed by the monarch, and the prime minister is elected indirectly by parliament elections results for four-year terms.

The High Commissioner has a seat in the Inatsisartut. The high commissioner is allowed to speak in the Inatsisartut regarding common Danish/Greenlandic affairs, but is not allowed to vote. [1] Following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually given the initiative to establish a new coalition by the Greenlandic Parliament, unless the current Naalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat (Prime Minister in English) is still in power. However, if he/she fails, the Chairman of the parliament asks all chairmen of the parties elected to the parliament, and asks them to point to another chairman who they feel can rightly form a new coalition. The chairman with the most votes is then handed the initiative. After forming the coalition, the Naalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat leads the Naalakkersuisut. The Naalakkersuisut will often consist of around 9 members. The coalition parties divide the various ministries among themselves and after this, the parties elect their representative to these ministries. Any other member of the cabinet is called a Naalakkersuisoq .

Legislative branch

Legislative power is shared by the government and the legislature. The legislature Greenlandic Parliament (Greenlandic : Inatsisartut) is made up of 31 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms by proportional representation. Election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament (Danish : Folketing) was last held on June 5, 2019. The current composition is shown below.

Inatsisartut 2021.svg
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Inuit Ataqatigiit 9,93337.44+11.6612+4
Siumut 7,98630.10+2.6610+1
Naleraq 3,25212.26–1.2940
Democrats 2,4549.25–10.443–3
Atassut 1,8787.08+1.1220
Nunatta Qitornai 6392.41–1.040–1
Cooperation Party 3761.42–2.690–1
Independents100.04New0New
Total26,528100.00310
Valid votes26,52897.86
Invalid/blank votes5812.14
Total votes27,109100.00
Registered voters/turnout41,12665.92–5.94
Source: Qinersineq.gl

Judicial branch

Greenland's judicial system is based on the Danish civil law system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. It has two court of first instance: the District Courts and the Court of Greenland depending on the type of case, whereas the High Court of Greenland hears cases as the second instance. Decisions made by the High Court of Greenland may be brought before the Supreme Court subject to the permission of the Appeals Permission Board. Appeals may be submitted to the Østre Landsret and the Supreme Court of Denmark (Højesteret).

Political parties and elections

Greenland has a multi-party system (disputing independence versus unionism as well as left versus right). Governments are usually coalition governments. The Greenlandic Parliament (Inatsisartut) has 31 seats. Members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Administrative divisions

The island is administratively divided into 5 municipalities [2] with about 72 cities and villages.

International affairs

Along with diplomatic missions to the European Union and the United States, [3] Greenland participates in the Nordic Council, Arctic Council, International Whaling Commission (Complete list of participation of Greenland in international organisations).

With Denmark having responsibility for Greenland's international affairs, other countries do not have direct diplomatic representation in Greenland — their embassies or consulates in Copenhagen are responsible for their relations with Greenland and their citizens staying or living there.

Greenland is represented internationally by the embassies and consulates of Denmark, although Greenland has an independent Representation to the European Union in Brussels since 1992 [4] and in the United States in Washington D.C since 2014. [5]

Greenland maintains economic and cultural relations with Taiwan via Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

International organization participation

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Greenland</span> Head of the government of Greenland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Denmark</span> Head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark

The prime minister of Denmark is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not initially have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the monarch, in whom the executive authority was vested. The Constitution of 1849 established a constitutional monarchy by limiting the powers of the monarch and creating the office of premierminister. The inaugural holder of the office was Adam Wilhelm Moltke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folketing</span> Parliament of Denmark

The Folketing, also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Established in 1849, until 1953 the Folketing was the lower house of a bicameral parliament, called the Rigsdag; the upper house was the Landsting. It meets in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inatsisartut</span> Greenlandic parliament

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuit Ataqatigiit</span> Political party in Greenland

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.

Greenland elects on national level a legislature. The Greenlandic Parliament has 31 members of parliament, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Greenland has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which a single party normally does not have a chance of gaining power alone, and therefore the parties must work together in order to form a coalition government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Realm</span> Kingdom of Denmark and its autonomous territories

The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, is the area over which the monarch of Denmark is head of state. It consists of metropolitan Denmark—the kingdom's territory in continental Europe and sometimes called "Denmark proper" —and the realm's two autonomous regions: the Faroe Islands in North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The relationship between the three parts of the Kingdom is also known as The unity of the Realm.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Denmark</span> Political system of Denmark

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleqa Hammond</span> Greenlandic politician

Aleqa Hammond is a Greenlandic politician and former member of the Danish Folketing (parliament). Formerly the leader of the Siumut party, she became Greenland's first female prime minister after her party emerged as the largest parliamentary faction in the 2013 elections. In 2014 she stepped down as prime minister and leader of Siumut, following a case of misuse of public funds. She was expelled from Siumut on 23 August 2016 after yet another case of misuse of public funds and became an independent. On 31 March 2018 she announced that she would be running in the 2018 Greenlandic parliamentary election for the Siumut breakaway Nunatta Qitornai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Kielsen</span> 6th Prime Minister of Greenland

Kim Kielsen is a Greenlandic politician, who served as leader of the Siumut party and sixth prime minister of Greenland between 2014 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atassut</span> Political party in Greenland

Atassut is a liberal-conservative and unionist political party in Greenland. Founded on 29 April 1978, Atassut is an established partner of the Liberal Party of Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities</span> Greenland leaving the EC, precursor to the EU

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliane Henningsen</span> Greenlandic politician

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.

Doris J. Jensen, also Doris Jakobsen, is a Greenlandic politician in the Siumut or Forward party. A former member of the Danish Folketing (2011–2015), she became an elected member of the Parliament of Greenland in 2002. In April 2018, she was appointed Minister of Health and Research in the Naalakkersuisut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Commission of Denmark, Nuuk</span> Diplomatic mission of Denmark to Greenland

The High Commission of Denmark in Greenland is a Danish institution in Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Múte Bourup Egede</span> 7th Prime Minister of Greenland

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pele Broberg</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naaja Nathanielsen</span> Greenlandic politician and feminist

Naaja Nathanielsen is a Greenlandic politician of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party. She was a member of the Inatsisartut from 2009 to 2016, and was re-elected in 2021. She has been the director of Greenland's department of prisons and probation from 2016, and became minister for natural resources in 2021. In her role as minister for natural resources, she banned uranium mining. She is a feminist, and has spoken against domestic violence in the country.

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