Editor-in-chief on the general election: Big surprises after a sluggish start

The parliamentary election campaign in Greenland has moved up the agenda considerably in recent days, after two members of the Greenland Parliament, Anna Wangenheim (D) and Naaja H. Nathanielsen (IA), have announced their candidacies.

- Regardless of what is up and down, it is something that people will debate, says editor-in-Chief and director of Sermitsiaq, Masaana Egede.

He assesses that the election campaign in Greenland otherwise got off to a slow start:

- After the parliamentary election was launched, it took some time for several of the parties to come up with their candidates. This means that it is a bit late for people to get an overview of who is running, he says.

Big shoes to fill

The current Greenlandic members of the Folketing, Aaja Chemnitz (IA) and Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam (N) are not running again. The two have each received thousands of votes in the recent elections, and therefore it is also particularly interesting who will carry on the legacy of the two experienced members of the Folketing:

- In relation to the big shoes that need to be filled after Aaja Chemnitz and Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, many of the candidates are untested cards, says Masaana Egede and continues:

- That is perhaps where you can start to think, is there a need for stronger cards on the field? They came in the form of Anna Wangenheim and Naaja H. Nathanielsen, the assessment is.

Stirs up debate and opposition

Masaana Egede emphasizes that it is a surprise to see two members of the Greenlandic Parliament running for office. However, he does not believe that this gives the two a free ticket into the Folketing:

- They are members of the Greenlandic Parliament, and therefore they will be heavyweights in this field.

- But that does not mean that they will get a direct path into the Folketing, because there is already both debate and a bit of opposition to this with members of the Greenlandic Parliament also running, where some would have expected that they would continue their work in the position they currently hold.

Change of power may have consequences for Danish-Greenlandic relations

Masaana Egede also notes that the imminent Greenlandic Parliament election may lead to a change of power in Denmark, and therefore the election may have consequences for Greenland.

- There are some big things at stake, because during a parliamentary election campaign one very rightly talks about the relationship between Greenland and Denmark, he says and continues:

- From the perspective of the government that is in power now, we are very open towards Greenland, where they have said in a very caricatured way that it doesn't matter whether Greenland wants to be independent, or whether Greenland wants to stay in the realm, we will help.

- I will definitely keep a close eye on whether the next government is as open-minded towards Greenland's opportunities as the current one has been, is the assessment from Masaana Egede.