Greenland Calls For Early Election for 11 March Amid Trump Interest

"It's election time for Inatsisartut [Parliament of Greenland. Red.note]. This happens on March 11. We are in the midst of a serious time. A time we have never experienced in our country", the prime minister, Múte Egede (Inuit Ataqatigiit) said in a Facebook post that did not mention US president Donald Trump (R).

He said the this is not the time for internal division, but for cooperation and unity for "our country".

Just before Trump took office, he expressed a desire to "get" the strategically significant Arctic island, leaving open the possibility of using military or economic force to achieve this.

Open for business

Greenland’s parliament unanimously approved Egede´s proposal for the 11 March election.

The top issues in the election campaign are expected to be Greenland's independence aspirations and relations with Denmark and the United States as well as the fragile economy which depends on fishing and Danish grants, as reported by Reuters.

Greenland, which has vast untapped mineral resources, has said it is open for business but does not wish to be part of the United States.

Democracy at its finest

In response to Trump's interest and fears of foreign intervention, legislators on Tuesday moved to ban foreign and anonymous political party donations.

In a post on Linkedin, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sara Olsvig, says it was a wise move of the prime minister to call the election now.

"This election will both be as elections usually are, but also different. We are seeing interest in our nation in a way we have not seen before, and we should all constantly be aware of the possible foreign attempts to influence us and our choices as a people", Olsvig writes.

She goes on to remind people that an election is democracy at its finest.

"May we all - whomever we will vote for - use our democratic right and show that it is the people of Kalaallit Nunaat [Greenland. Red. note] that controls our nation’s future and destiny."