Greenland’s election, which closed with extended voting hours at some polling stations due to high turnout, will determine the leadership that will confront US President Donald Trump’s pledge to control the strategically significant Arctic island. Unofficial results are expected shortly after polling, with voting extended by half an hour past the 22:00 GMT deadline on Tuesday due to high voter turnout at several of the 72 polling stations across the mineral-rich island, where 40,500 people were eligible to vote. Official results will not be certified for weeks as ballot papers are transported to the capital, Nuuk, from remote settlements by boat, plane and helicopter. Images and video clips shared on social media showed people queuing in the ice and snow outside polling stations in Nuuk up to 45 minutes before voting closed. Since taking office in January, Trump has promised to make Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, part of the US, saying it is vital to US security interests. The vast island, with a population of just 57,000, has been caught up in a geopolitical race for dominance in the Arctic, where melting ice caps are making its rich resources of rare earth metals more accessible and opening new shipping routes. Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede called the election last month, saying the country needed to be united during a “serious time” that is unlike anything Greenland has ever experienced. The election campaign initially focused on anger and frustration aimed at historical wrongdoings by Denmark, but the fear of a US imperialist approach has become a bigger concern lately. Greenlanders interviewed by Reuters expressed their support for independence, although many expressed concern that a swift transition could damage the economy.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/12/greenland-votes-in-election-dominated-by-trumps-pledge-to-control-island?traffic_source=rss