Greenland’s social-democratic party, Siumut, won three of the territory’s five municipalities in local elections held in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s vows to annex the island, according to results published on Wednesday.
“My dear Siumut, you have gathered many people across the country, you have created great hope,” party leader Vivian Motzfeldt said in a Facebook post.
The party favours a gradual move towards independence for the Danish autonomous territory, like the three other parties in the coalition government.
Held only three weeks after legislative elections, where Siumut — a major player in the Greenlandic political landscape since the 1970s — finished fourth, the municipal elections did not generate as much enthusiasm among the around 41,000 voters in the island.
Only 52.6 percent of those eligible turned out to vote, compared to the more than 70 percent who voted in the general election.
The vote took place amid Trump’s repeated vows to take over Greenland.
Trump argues the United States needs the vast Arctic island for its security and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.
According to the Washington Post, the White House is currently estimating the cost for the US federal government to control Greenland.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrived in Greenland Wednesday for a three-day visit.
“It is clear that with the pressure put on Greenland by the Americans, in terms of sovereignty, borders and the future, we need to stay united,” she said, after meeting the island’s new prime minister.
The general election was won by the centre-right Democrats, who have formed a coalition government that could set out a path to independence.
