Next week, the Greenlanders will go to the polls to vote in the government election. A choice that has received great media attention and is expected to be colored by the triangle drama between the United States, Denmark and Greenland. At each end of the political spectrum are populist parties Naleraq and liberal conservative Atassut.
“We are so divided right now, just because of that debate,” says Aqqalu Jerimiassen, party leader Atassut.
In the government elections in 2021, the Social Democratic Inuit Ataqatigiit won by 37 percent and the second largest party became Social Democratic Siumut, which received 30 percent. They hold hard on the issue of independence from Denmark in the debate, but PaninNGUAQ Korneliussen believes that Naleraq is the only party that really drives the issue forward.
– It is important that we continue our independence process on our premises. It is our main goal, that we come to a point where we are independent and not part of Denmark, says Korneliussen.
Want to reverse the influence of inflation
At the other end is Atassut, which took home seven percent of the vote in the last government election. They want to continue to be part of Denmark and let this year’s election be about economics. Aqqalu Jermiassen wants Greenland to increase purchasing power through reduced taxes to tackle inflation.
– The dependency dependence remains from colonial era. You turn to the public instead of creating your own happiness, says Aqqalu Jerimiassen.
Atassut is considered by many Greenlanders as a controversial party and Jermiassen says he does not understand the resistance they meet.
– It’s easy to point to us and say “you try to stop us” but we have never had a majority, we are far too small.
Want to see a decentralization
The two parties agree on one issue – that the policy should not be based on the capital Nuuk. Both Jerimiassen and Korneliussen, which comes from smaller cities, testify to a policy that is colored by the capital’s debates, but that other cities in Greenland have other concerns.
– It is important that we listen to what is happening in Qaanaaq and do not assume that they have the same problems as Qaqortoq, says Korneliussen.