section_path: Background
section_name: Background
paragraph_text: Background
  
  Independence was the most important issue of the election. The government declared in February 2024 that independence was its goal. At a press conference in early 2025, pro-independence prime minister Múte Bourup Egede said that "work has already begun on creating the framework for Greenland as an independent state" and apparently hinted that an independence referendum could take place in April 2025, in tandem with the election. In addition to the five parties already represented in the Inatsisartut, a new sixth party with a primary focus on Greenlandic independence, Qulleq, gained ballot access a month before the election.
  
  However, after American president-elect Donald Trump renewed his interest in Greenland, Egede played down any notion of immediate independence and instead stressed the need for reforms of the cooperation between the governments of Denmark and Greenland at a press conference in Copenhagen on 10 January 2025. In an interview on Fox News on 16 January, Egede stated that Greenlanders have no wish to become a part of the U.S., and an opinion poll that month showed 85% of those surveyed opposed the proposal with 6% in favour and 9% unsure. In the leadup to the election, the opposition leader Jens Frederik Nielsen (Democrats) spoke in support for complete independence, telling Sky News that Greenland is "not for sale." In a final televised debate before the day before the election, the leaders of all five parties represented in the Inatsisartut voiced their distrust of Trump; only Karl Ingemann, leader of Qulleq, voiced trust in Trump.
  
  Separate to the issue of independence, the economy was also an important theme, with debate over how is best to support commerce and industry, and ultimately strengthen the Greenlandic economy. Other issues included Greenland's relationship with international climate agreements, the functioning of the health care system, and social problems related to high house prices and homelessness.
  
  In the run-up to the election, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service and the Danish Defence Intelligence Service announced they were actively monitoring for potential attempts by foreign powers to influence the outcome of the Greenlandic elections. In an interview with TV 2, independent analysts named the United States, Russia and China as possible instigators of clandestine action in the country.