Greenland Polls Yield No Clear Direction on Mining

Greenland CC Flickr Kitty Terwolbeck

Greenland went to the polls on Nov. 28, weeks after Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond, of the Siumut party, was brought down by an expenses scandal alleging the premier spent $18,000 of public funds on plane tickets and hotel rooms for her family.

Siumut and its major rival, Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), both emerged from the election with 11 seats each in the 31-seat parliament. Because Siumut had more voter support, it won the right to negotiate a coalition government. On Dec. 4, the party announced that it would share power with smaller parties Demokraatit and Atassut, while Siumut’s Kim Kielsen will serve as premier. Together, these parties will hold 17 seats in parliament.

Though Siumut and IA had openly clashed on the mining of uranium – with Siumut being responsible for lifting a decades-old ban while in power – Demokraatit and Atassut are both seen to be friendly to uranium exploitation.

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