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Greenland voters head to the polls Dec. 3

Election could change balance of political power

JIM BELL

Voters in Nunavut’s circumpolar neighbour, Greenland, will head to the polls Dec. 3 to elect members of a new parliament.

Premier Jonathan Motzfeldt called the general election after two cabinet ministers, both members of Motzfeldt’s Siumut party, were forced to resign after an audit committee revealed unauthorized spending in their departments.

In Greenland’s last general election, held Feb. 17, 1999, Siumut, a moderate centre-left party with links to Europe’s social democratic parties, won the greatest number of votes, 35.2 per cent, but only 11 of 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament — not enough to form a majority.

To create a government, they first formed a coalition with the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which won seven seats and 22 per cent of the popular vote.

But in 2001, they formed another coalition, this time with Atassut, a right-of-centre party that won eight seats and 25.2 per cent of the popular vote in the 1999 election.

Motzfeldt called the election without informing Augusta Salling, Atassut’s chair and Greenland’s finance minister.

Salling had called for the resignations of Joergen Waever Johansen, Greenland’s minister of social affairs, and Lise Lennert, the minister of education, after overspending in their departments had been revealed.

With the country facing serious economic issues caused by a decline of its fishing industry, some observers believe this election could change the balance of political power in Greenland and possibly end Siumut’s dominance of the government.

One scenario could see Inuit Ataqatigiit taking advantage of disarray within the two other parties to increase its share of the vote and possibly lead the formation of a new minority government.

A new political party led by Per Berthelsen, a popular Greenlandic singer who was once a member of Siumut, adds an additional element of unpredictability.

The next general election in Greenland would normally have been held early in 2003.

Greenland’s premier and other cabinet members are chosen by the legislature after elections are held.

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