section_path: Analysis
section_name: Analysis
paragraph_text: Analysis
  
  The two governing parties, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut, lost a combined 31 percentage points of the vote, marking a historic defeat for a Greenlandic coalition government similar to other democracies after the COVID-19 pandemic. The centre-right opposition Democrats won the most seats for the first time in its history, likely going to coalition with one of the two currently governing parties, though environmental policies in relation to mining may be an issue that vaults Naleraq into government.
  
  Inuit Ataqatigiit had been expected to win the election but instead suffered a significant decline. Originally dissatisfaction with Denmark over the spiral case dominated political feelings in Greenland, however fear of losing autonomy to the United States took more importance as the election progressed, especially after US President Donald Trump stated he would not rule out taking the island by force. Nielsen, leader of the winning Democrats, stated that the results should be a clear message to the United States and Trump that "We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope." Pele Broberg, leader of runner-up Naleraq, suggested in an op-ed to USNews that Greenland could take advantage of the situation to gain leverage in succession talks and maybe even gain free association status, similar to Micronesia or Palau 's association with the United States, to deal with the lack of military protection from Denmark that would happen upon independence. Qulleq, the newest party and the only one with a leader to voice trust in Trump, failed to win a single seat, receiving 305 votes.
  
  Numerous areas where Siumut has traditionally been the strongest force, especially the villages, fell to Naleraq, a party which is popular with fishermen and hunters and takes the strongest pro-independence stance, while Demokraatit won numerous votes in the cities previously dominated by Inuit Ataqatigiit. The election result was interpreted as indicating that solving Greenland's internal social and economic problems took priority over achieving independence as quickly as possible. It was suspected that the extensive nationalization and monopolization, as well as the associated fisheries policy, had caused resentment among the population, who wanted a more liberal approach, while others were demonstrating their dissatisfaction with Denmark by voting for Naleraq. Kuno Fencker, a Naleraq MP, told The Guardian that "Before, people voted mostly Siumut – it was like a football club that they never left. But people have had enough and voted very differently this time."