Atassut also has doubts about continued government cooperation: I am investigating whether the laws are being applied correctly

The coalition with Demokraatit, Inuit Ataqatigiit, Siumut and Atassut, which has been together for almost a year, is now in crisis.

Two members of Naalakkersuisut, Anna Wangenheim from Demokraatit and Naaja H. Nathanielsen from Inuit Ataqatigiit, are running for the general election while still being members of Naalakkersuisut. This is the cause of the crisis.

Siumut has threatened to leave the coalition, and Atassut also questions the participation of members of Naalakkersuisut in the election campaign for the Folketing.

– We never imagined that we would have to talk about leaving the coalition so early, but it only became a real issue when members of Naalakkersuisut started participating in the election campaign, says Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.

Has the law been broken?

Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen has written to the secretary of the Election Review Committee to investigate whether the law on Inatsisartut and Naalakkersuisut has been violated.

– I have written to have it investigated, he says.

The chairman wants to find out how the law applies in situations where Naalakkersuisut resigns and acts as an interim Naalakkersuisut during an election for Inatsisartut.

– If you travel as a member of the Greenland Parliament now, is that part of the election campaign? And that raises questions about impartiality. Can the law be abused when there is nothing about the general election, so that you take advantage of the trips as a member of the Greenland Parliament? There are many questions, says the chairman of Atassut.

Exciting meeting on Thursday

The political coordination group in the country, including members of the Greenland Parliament, will meet on Thursday. The chairman of the Greenland Parliament has something on his mind here.

– We have to present our dissatisfaction. It is necessary. The board's dissatisfaction with this is very low. They see it as overstepping the bounds. It is not a job on the side of being a member of the Greenland Parliament, says Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.

He emphasizes that it can be time-consuming to campaign while being a member of the Naalakkersuisut, as he himself has experience with it.

– I don't like that they don't respect their position as members of the Naalakkersuisut, where they have to serve society, the law and other important tasks, and they are downgrading it. Even though they say they will focus on their tasks, they are not. Now they have to concentrate mostly on their campaign. The spring session is also just around the corner.

Will the two largest parties keep us?

The two largest parties in the coalition, Demokraatit and Inuit Ataqatigiit, who also have candidates for the Folketing, must now assess whether they are more satisfied with their other coalition partners, says the chairman of Atassut.

– Do they want to keep us? Are they satisfied with our cooperation, or will they sacrifice everything to run for the Folketing? It is now up to them, says Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.

– If they want to remove us in their priorities, then they will remove us. If they do not listen to us, it just means that they do not value us as a coalition partner, he concludes.

The chairman of Naalakkersuisut, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has previously stated that those who run for the Folketing while they are members of Naalakkersuisut are exercising their democratic right. You can read that article here.