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Thepolitics of Greenland, anautonomous country (Greenlandic:nuna,Danish:land) within theKingdom of Denmark, function in a framework of aparliamentaryrepresentative democraticdependency, whereby theprime minister is thehead of government, and of amulti-party system.Executive power is exercised by the government.Legislative power is vested in both thegovernment and parliamentInatsisartut. Thejudiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.Greenland has full autonomy on most matters, except on policies and decisions affecting the region including negotiations with the devolved legislatures and theFolketing (English:Parliament of Denmark).
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | Frederik X | 14 January 2024 | |
| High Commissioner | Julie Præst Wilche | 1 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Jens-Frederik Nielsen | Demokraatit | 7 April 2025 |
Executive power rests with a high commissioner, and aprime minister heads the Cabinet. Thehigh commissioner of Greenland is appointed by themonarch, and the prime minister is elected indirectly by parliament elections results for four-year terms.
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The High Commissioner has a seat in the Inatsisartut. The high commissioner is allowed to speak in the Inatsisartut regarding common Danish/Greenlandic affairs, but is not allowed to vote.[1] Following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually given the initiative to establish a new coalition by the Greenlandic Parliament, unless the currentNaalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat (Prime Minister in English) is still in power. However, if he/she fails, the chairman of the parliament asks all chairmen of the parties elected to the parliament, and asks them to point to another chairman who they feel can rightly form a new coalition. The chairman with the most votes is then handed the initiative. After forming the coalition, theNaalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat leads theNaalakkersuisut. The Naalakkersuisut will often consist of around 9 members. The coalition parties divide the various ministries among themselves and after this, the parties elect their representative to these ministries. Any other member of the cabinet is called aNaalakkersuisoq.
Legislative power is shared by the government and the legislature. The legislatureGreenlandic Parliament (Greenlandic:Inatsisartut) is made up of 31 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms byproportional representation. Election of 2 seats to theDanish Parliament (Danish:Folketing) was last held on November 1st, 2022. The composition after the 2025 Greenlandic general election is shown below.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– | |
| Democrats | 8,563 | 30.26 | +21.01 | 10 | +7 | |
| Naleraq | 7,009 | 24.77 | +12.51 | 8 | +4 | |
| Inuit Ataqatigiit | 6,119 | 21.62 | –15.82 | 7 | –5 | |
| Siumut | 4,210 | 14.88 | –15.22 | 4 | –6 | |
| Atassut | 2,092 | 7.39 | +0.31 | 2 | 0 | |
| Qulleq | 305 | 1.08 | New | 0 | New | |
| Total | 28,298 | 100.00 | – | 31 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 28,298 | 98.87 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 322 | 1.13 | ||||
| Total votes | 28,620 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 40,369 | 70.90 | +4.98 | |||
| Source: Qinersineq.gl[2] | ||||||
Greenland's judicial system is based on the Danish civil law system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. It has two court of first instance: the District Courts and theCourt of Greenland depending on the type of case, whereas theHigh Court of Greenland hears cases as the second instance. Decisions made by the High Court of Greenland may be brought before the Supreme Court subject to the permission of the Appeals Permission Board. Appeals may be submitted to theØstre Landsret and theSupreme Court of Denmark (Højesteret).
Greenland has amulti-party system (disputing independence versus unionism as well asleft versusright). Governments are usuallycoalition governments. The Greenlandic Parliament (Inatsisartut) has 31 seats. Members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.
The island is administratively divided into5 municipalities[3] with about72 cities and villages.
Along with diplomatic missions to theEuropean Union and theUnited States,[4] Greenland participates in, among others, theNordic Council,Arctic Council, andInternational Whaling Commission.[5]
With Denmark having responsibility for Greenland's international affairs, other countries do not have direct diplomatic representation in Greenland — their embassies or consulates inCopenhagen are responsible for their relations with Greenland and their citizens staying or living there.
Greenland is represented internationally by the embassies and consulates of Denmark, although Greenland has an independentRepresentation to theEuropean Union in Brussels since 1992[6] and in theUnited States in Washington D.C since 2014.[7]
Greenland maintains economic and cultural relations withTaiwan viaTaipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.
Qinersineq was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page). Current cabinets of theKingdom of Denmark | |
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