United States: Greenland holds its elections mainly on a local scale based on its population of 57,000 island residents.
Public opinion polls remain scarce because Greenland contains only two newspapers under Danish autonomous control.
Greenlanders main political discussions happen within restricted Facebook communities while their main political concerns focus on economic matters together with mining activities fishing policies and Danish-Greenland relations.
About the upcoming polls
The upcoming polls in Greenland on Tuesday will face global attention after US President Donald Trump proposes taking over the territory.
According to Trump, speaking about Greenland while giving a speech to Congress last week, “I think we’re going to get it one way or the other,” – reigniting fears of the United States attempting to take the island by force or economic coercion, as CNN reported.
“We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken,” responded Greenland’s pro-independence Prime Minister Mute Egede.
“We don’t want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit (Greenlanders),” Egede added.
“The Americans and their leader must understand that,” he continued.
What does Greenland want?
The political leaders from all five Greenlandian parliament parties make it clear their territory will remain independent from becoming part of the United States.
Public policy debates in Greenland revolve primarily around economic, social, and environmental aspects rather than statements made by Trump.
Greenland’s political spectrum shares a common goal of independence, yet Inuit Ataqatigiit members, along with other major parties, recognize this will need significant talks with Denmark combined with economic progress before any possible separation can occur.
The Danish colonial rule over Greenland ended in 1953 through the intervention of self-governance reforms for the island.
The year 2009 brought additional policies to Greenland, which expanded the authority on mineral extraction and police enforcement and law-making capacities, CNN reported.
However, Denmark still controls security, defense, and foreign and monetary policy. The membership of Denmark to the European Union and NATO grants additional benefits to Greenland.
Whether Greenland votes for independence remains uncertain regarding how its national security will develop.
Some politicians have suggested that Greenland should create defense treaties with Denmark along with Canada and the United States after securing independence because the US already maintains a military base in far northwest Greenland within the Arctic Circle.
The security of Greenland exists as a vital concern since Russia and China actively strive to expand their influence across the Arctic region.
Since recent times, every political campaign has included promises for measures to improve autonomy.