October 5, 2001
Shake-up
in Greenland's Home Rule Government
Embattled Greenland Premier
Jonathan Motzfeldt is still the leader of Greenland's
home rule government, but he's resigned as head
of the Siumut party.
Last
month Hans Enoksen, a critic of Motzfeldt, was elected
to replace Motzfeldt as party leader.
Following
a cabinet shuffle last week, Enoksen is also Greenland's
new fishery minister.
Motzfeldt
has been widely blamed for a three billion-krøne
($581 million) deficit in Greenland's main export
fish and seafood company, Royal Greenland.
Fisheries
account for nearly all of Greenland's exports, worth
about one billion-krøne ($193 million).
The
deficit, which is blamed on poor management, may
lead to the closure of four of Royal Greenland's
nine fish plants.
Motzfeldt
was Greenland's first premier from 1979 until 1991,
when he was ousted by Lars-Emil Johansen. When Johansen
quit politics in 1997, Motzfeldt became premier
again.
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