gotchanewsdaily.com 
“We want independence, but we all have very different definitions of what independence is,” editor-in-chief of Greenland’s main newspaper Sermitsiaq, Masaana Egede, told POLITICO before the election.
Whether Greenland can economically go it alone, however, is the big question. The Arctic island is home to one of the world’s largest deposits of uranium and rare-earth minerals, but its lawmakers have opposed EU-backed mining projects before and have passed a law outright banning most uranium extraction.
“The focus [for the new government] will remain on developing the economy toward independence, but with a stronger emphasis on market-based solutions. Greenland will continue to push Denmark for greater equality, though it may also be more open to Danish investments,” Gad told POLITICO.
“Demokraatit [the Democrats] have opposed the uranium ban imposed by the previous government. It is too early to say whether they will attempt to reverse it, as this will likely depend on which party they form a coalition with,” said Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, professor and expert on Arctic security at the Danish Royal Defense College. “The most obvious coalition partner, IA [Inuit Ataqatigiit, the party of Prime Minister Múte Egede], opposes uranium mining, which could become a potential sticking point.”
Nielsen and the Democrats’ goal is to make Greenland more self-sufficient through its economy before any formal separation from Denmark, but second-place Naleraq is the most outspoken party in favor of an aggressive independence push, which threatens to make those potential talks tricky.
The winning party now has two options: the Naleraq route; or a coalition with IA, despite differences over tax reforms, welfare and mining.
