Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for an early election on March 11, citing the need for unity amid rising geopolitical tensions fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to acquire the Arctic island.
“It’s time for an election to the Inatsisartut [Greenlandic Parliament]. If the Inatsisartut approves my proposal, this will happen on March 11th,” Egede posted on Facebook Tuesday.
“We are in a serious time. A time we have never experienced in our country. The time is not for internal division but for cooperation and unity for our country. I am once again more than ready to work for you and to lead our country,” he added.
His call for elections follows the passage of a law banning foreign or anonymous campaign donations, a move meant to curb external influence in Greenland’s political process.
Trump has long expressed a desire to control the strategically vital, resource-rich island, calling its acquisition an “absolute necessity” and even refusing to rule out military action—comments that sent shockwaves across Europe.
Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of roughly 60,000, was a Danish colony until gaining self-rule and its own parliament in 1979. However, Denmark still oversees its foreign and defense policy.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Egede have repeatedly rejected any notion of selling Greenland. Egede has been vocal in stating that Greenlanders “don’t want to be Americans,” a sentiment echoed in recent polling.
