Aleqa Hammond on the Section 21 Commission: Siumut bets on the draft constitution

2026 Is the working year for the Section 21 Commission , where the two international law experts Ole Spiermann from Denmark and Gudmundur Alfredsson from Iceland scrutinize every single step in the Self-Government Act chapter 8 with the all-important heading "Greenland's access to independence".

Naalakkersuisut's chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen told this in his New Year's speech.

2026 Is the working year for the Section 21 Commission , where the two international law experts Ole Spiermann from Denmark and Gudmundur Alfredsson from Iceland scrutinize every single step in the Self-Government Act chapter 8 with the all-important heading "Greenland's access to independence".

Naalakkersuisut's chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen told this in his New Year's speech.

- I believe that it is important at all times to focus on the preparations for Greenland's independence, Siumut's chairman Aleqa Hammond announces in a subdued comment to Sermitsiaq.

Inatsisartut made a decision on the Section 21 Commission at the spring meeting 2024, and the new 4-leaf clover coalition promised in March 2025 to complete the commission work, but Aleqa Hammond first made her spectacular comeback on the political side scene in June 2025.

Since 2014, Aleqa Hammond has neither been a member of Naalakkersuisut nor Inatsisartut, and she has no part in the establishment of the Section 21 Commission. Like party chairman, on the other hand, she has her own prioritisation, which weighs on the Constitutional Commission heavier than the Section 21 Commission.

Dead water in 2025

After six years and 30 million kroner, the Constitutional Commission submitted its report draft constitution in April 2023. Siumut's then naalakkersuisoq for independence Vivian Motzfeldt held citizen meetings in the autumn of 2024 the draft constitution in cities and towns on the West Coast.

After the election 11 March 2025 transferred independence to Naalakkersuisut's chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and the draft constitution is not mentioned with a single word in the coalition agreement between Demokraatit, Inuit Ataqatigiit, Siumut and Atassut from 28 March 2025.

Aleqa Hammond will bring the draft constitution out of its impasse.

- The most important step towards independence is for the politicians to leave the country thin with the draft constitution, believes Aleqa Hammond.

Why this order when the constitution first comes into force when Greenland will become an independent state, precisely where the Section 21 Commission must show the way?

- It is the population that decides whether we are ready to take the next step steps or not. That is why it is important that we discuss, debate, comment the draft constitution, where we also take up sub-points for discussion among the population. A decision must be made on an informed basis and with ownership of the population, and such a large task must be placed at the top of the priority list in political work.

We already said yes 2008

From the start, Section 21 establishes with 7-inch strokes that "decision on Greenland independence is decided by the Greenlandic people', but already the first word »decision« is open to interpretations: Either Inatsisartut decides and Nalakkersuisut single-handedly presses the § 21 button, or also decides the population by a referendum to initiate negotiations on independence with Denmark.

The Landsrådet in the 70s and the Landstinget in the 00s addressed it directly Danish government, and it was only the result of negotiations on home rule in 1979 and self-government in 2009, which came to a referendum.

Should we hold a preparatory referendum on the start of negotiations, or do we have to wait for a final referendum on the negotiation result?

- This mandate to activate Section 21 has already been given by the population to Inatsisartut in connection with the referendum on self-government on 28 November 2008, answers Aleqa Hammond.

An extensive information campaign preceded the referendum for 17 years ago, and the Self-Government Act with Section 21 was printed on large posters which hung on refrigerator doors and bulletin boards.

In the voting booth, voters had to answer 'Yes' or 'No' to the question: Wishes you, that self-government is introduced in Greenland with the content and the conditions which is outlined in the Greenlandic-Danish self-government commission's draft autonomy law?

The voters could therefore have no doubt that a 'Yes' to self-government also was a 'Yes' to Greenland's access to independence. 75.5 percent of voters voted "Yes", and Aleqa Hammond thinks with reference to the voters' mandate from 2008, that a referendum on independence must apply the negotiation result.

Ownership for independence

The next step in § 21 is a negotiation between Naalakkersuisut and the Danish government on the implementation of independence.

The Danish/Greenlandic self-governance commission assumed in its report from 2008, that the negotiations between Naalakkersuisut and the government must be conducted on a meaningful way, where the parties must endeavor to mutually accommodate each other.

- In my opinion, the negotiations with Denmark will be the easiest task path towards Greenland's independence, assesses Aleqa Hammond.

The negotiations concern ownership of the state's installations and buildings, among other things, the new institution in Nuuk for half a billion kroner. It applies also citizenship for Danes in Greenland and Greenlanders in Denmark; that applies to civil servants and pension obligations; this applies to previously entered into agreements between Naalakkersuisut and the government. And finally, an agreement applies on the economic relations between Denmark and an independent Greenland.

It is exactly 50 years ago this year that Prime Minister Anker Jørgensen said they infamous words "There's nothing to fuss about".

Today, completely different tones are heard from Mette Frederiksen, even if she will go to great lengths to avoid staying the prime minister who takes the trip from Christiansborg to Amalienborg to tell Frederik X that he has just lost 98 percent of his kingdom.

Most recently, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen entered into an agreement of 1.6 billion kroner for health services in Denmark and deep-water ports and regionally airport in Greenland.

It is the agreement between Naalakkersuisut and the government, and not the constitution, as in according to section 21, there must be a final referendum in Greenland. With the agreement in hand, everyone can ascertain what independence means in terms of kroner and øre and everything in between.

- The most difficult task is to ensure that everyone in the country gets the opportunity to be in the movement so that they get ownership of this process. It requires politics community and an impartial discussion about Greenland's independence, calls for Aleqa Hammond.