Greenland ruling party seeks independence vote after March 11 election

Greenland’s ruling Siumut  party  plans  to hold a  vote  on  independence  following a general  election  next month, it said on Thursday, an issue made urgent by US President Donald Trump’s expressed interest in acquiring the island.

The semi-autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, on Wednesday called a general  election  to be held on March 11.

Leading issues in the  election  campaign include  Greenland’s aspirations to be independent and its relationship with Denmark and the United States under Trump who has repeatedly expressed a desire to “get” the strategically significant island.

Greenland, a Danish colony until 1953, has extensive self-governing rights.

Siumut, a partner in  Greenland’s two-party  government  coalition,  plans  to invoke an article in a 2009 law that granted  Greenland  increased autonomy, including the right to negotiate full  independence, the  party’s political spokesperson Doris Jensen told Reuters on Thursday.

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She said  Greenland  needed to be independent from Denmark to be able to negotiate its future.

“Until our country achieves the status of an independent state, our opportunities to officially participate in negotiations will be limited,” she said.

Siumut  party  leader Erik Jensen told Danish broadcaster DR he expected the  vote  on  independence  would happen “within the next  election  period”, but was not more specific.  Elections are held every four years.

All five political parties in parliament have said they do not want  Greenland  to become part of the United States.

An opinion poll published last week also indicated 85% of  Greenlanders are opposed, with nearly half saying they see Trump’s interest as a threat.

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Greenland, rich in untapped mineral resources, relies heavily on fishing and grants from Denmark for its economy.

Jensen said any decision on  independence  must be made with full awareness of the implications.

“It must be on an informed basis, so that the population is not in doubt about the consequences. We have a welfare society that must function. We have some economic aspects that we also need to look at,” he said.

The social-democratic Siumut  party  holds 10 seats in the 31-seat parliament. The country’s third biggest  party  Naleraq has also said it wants to sever ties with Denmark immediately.