Greenland government party plans independence vote after upcoming election

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

NUUK, Greenland (Reuters) - Greenland's ruling Siumut party plans to hold a vote on independence following a general election next month, it said on Thursday, an issue made urgent by U.S. President Donald Trump's expressed interest in acquiring the island.

The semi-autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, on Wednesday called a general election to be held on March 11.

Leading issues in the election campaign include Greenland's aspirations to be independent and its relationship with Denmark and the United States under Trump who has repeatedly expressed a desire to "get" the strategically significant island.

Greenland, a Danish colony until 1953, has extensive self-governing rights.

Siumut, a partner in Greenland's two-party government coalition, plans to invoke an article in a 2009 law that granted Greenland increased autonomy, including the right to negotiate full independence, the party's political spokesperson Doris Jensen told Reuters on Thursday.

She said Greenland needed to be independent from Denmark to be able to negotiate its future.

"Until our country achieves the status of an independent state, our opportunities to officially participate in negotiations will be limited," she said.

Siumut party leader Erik Jensen told Danish broadcaster DR he expected the vote on independence would happen "within the next election period", but was not more specific. Elections are held every four years.

All five political parties in parliament have said they do not want Greenland to become part of the United States.

An opinion poll published last week also indicated 85% of Greenlanders are opposed, with nearly half saying they see Trump's interest as a threat.

Greenland, rich in untapped mineral resources, relies heavily on fishing and grants from Denmark for its economy.

Jensen said any decision on independence must be made with full awareness of the implications.

"It must be on an informed basis, so that the population is not in doubt about the consequences. We have a welfare society that must function. We have some economic aspects that we also need to look at," he said.

The social-democratic Siumut party holds 10 seats in the 31-seat parliament. The country's third biggest party Naleraq has also said it wants to sever ties with Denmark immediately.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by Barbara Lewis)