Greenlandic Inatsisartut election, 2018

[Deleted]

I will - probably rather slowly - describe the political pattern in Greenland based on the 2014 election. 

There are 17 "towns" in Greenland, but most of these are village size (down to around 1,000 inhabitants), the rest of the population lives in smaller settlements. The vote is broken down to "towns", which means a town and the settlements within its district (which in many cases can be hundreds of kilometers away), and polling places. But since this is just a broad overview I won't be bothering with subtracting the settlement vote from the town vote. 



Greenland has slightly under 56,000 inhabitants and the population is currently stagnating after a drop earlier in the decade, this is due to continuing outmigration, mainly to Denmark, countering the natural population growth. 

There is no ethnic statistics (they aren't done in Denmark either), but 11.1% of the population are foreign born, and ca. 90% of those are Danes. Nearly all of the Greenlandic born are ethnic Greenlanders, but 82% of those have some European ancestry (overwhelmingly Danish and Norwegian), this can mainly be divided into Norse, 18th century colonial era and post-WW2 contact (mainly 50s and 60s). Greenlanders who have recent Danish ancestry are of course more likely to be Danish speakers. The people who are of pure Inuit descent nearly all live on the East Coast and in the Qanaq area (Northern Greenland), which were colonized far later, and on the far north of the West Coast. Though some people from these places have of course moved to Nuuk and (to a far lesser degree) elsewhere on the West Coast. 

Northern Greenland is on average richer than Southern Greenland thanks to more valuable fish stocks. The coastal passenger ships go between the 4th largest town Qaqortoq in the south and the 3th largest Ilulissat in the Disco Bay area. The places that are further south or north are under pressure (unofficially the Greenlandic government would prefer to concentrate the population even more, but that is controversial, not least due to similar Danish policies during the post-war the modernization).

Nuuk

Roughly 17,500 people live in the Greenlandic capital, which has a large Danish speaking minority of maybe 40-45% of the population, most of these being ethnically Greenlandic, but there are also more Danes than in the rest of Greenland. Its wealthier than most of the rest of Greenland, but has very sharp class differences. 

IA is by far the biggest party in Nuuk. It got 42.7% of the vote (a 3.9 point drop from 2013), well above their national average of 33.2%. The second largest party were the Democrats with 22.3%, which is nearly twice as much as their 11.8% national average. That means that the two parties with a mainly non-populist approach to politics are far more dominant in better educated and more "Western" Nuuk than in the rest of Greenland. The Democrats nearly doubled their vote in 2014, and I expect the Cooperation Party to get a substantial part of it this time, perhaps even overtaking them. 

Atassut got 3.3%, which was roughly half of their 6.5% national average. Its mainly a settlement party these days and after dropping unionism they have limited appeal to the centre-right vote in Nuuk, a city whose economy depends on Danish subsidies (Nuuk would experience the most drastic economic decline if the Danish subsidies were cut off - the settlements in Northern Greenland the smallest).  

Siumut got 21.8% of the vote, well below their national average of 34.3%

Naleraq basically has the same pattern as Siumut and got 7.5% compared to a 11.6% national average. Their new recruits from the ethnio-nationalist Partii Inuit got 1.1, which is two-thirds of their 1.6% national average. 

The "Siumut family" thus do worse in Nuuk than on The Coast, but the difference is less than for Atassut.

[johnloony]

Mar 17, 2018 15:15:12 GMT @vintris said:

The new parties needed to collect 942 signatures, equivalent to 1/31 of the 29, 201 eligible voters at the previous election. A high threshold.

With such a high threshold for taking pat in elections, I gues thee are unregistered parties which are active but not in elections. Communists? Maoists? Inuit quasi-fascists? Pirate Party? Green Party?

[Deleted]

Mar 26, 2018 4:14:56 GMT johnloony said:

Mar 17, 2018 15:15:12 GMT @vintris said:

The new parties needed to collect 942 signatures, equivalent to 1/31 of the 29, 201 eligible voters at the previous election. A high threshold.

With such a high threshold for taking pat in elections, I gues thee are unregistered parties which are active but not in elections. Communists? Maoists? Inuit quasi-fascists? Pirate Party? Green Party?

No, because you can run as an independent with only 50 signatures and elected candidates can then form an "association of candidates" afterwards, which functions as a party except not being eligible for public funds ("party aid"). Greenland actually had a Conservative party which was simply called the Association of Candidates, because that is how it worked 1995-2005 before it was registered as an actual party. Its leader, the former mayor of Ilulissat Anthon Frederiksen, is in Naleraq now.

The Cooperation Party had planned to do that as a plan B if they didn't get the necessary signatures. 

[Deleted]

Eastern Greenland has around 7% of the Greenlandic population. Its called Tunu ("the backside") and was for centuries thought of by West Greenlanders as a mythological land inhabited by monsters and all sort of strange creatures until contact with its population was reestablished by Danish explorer Gustav Holm in 1883-85. The last heathen was baptised in 1920, and its late colonisation means that the population in some ways has retained more of a traditional spirituality and mindset than on the west coast. Being less culturally Westernized + the extra burden of having to be educated in not one, but two foreign languages (West Greenlandic and Danish) also mean that no pure East Greenlander has ever finished a university education (though plenty of people with partial East Greenlandic heritage have).

The East Greenlanders speak their own language and are often looked down on and discriminated by West Greenlanders, as such they are not necessarily pro-independence and some even prefer to speak Danish with West Greenlanders as a neutral language, much to the annoyance of West Greenlanders.

The population mainly lives in Tasiilaq with 2,100 inhabitants and remote Ittoqqortoormiit 850 km further north at the Scoresby Sound fjord system with less than 400 residents (after recent outmigration by several families), founded in 1925 by polar explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen to uphold Danish sovereignity in this remote corner of Greenland against Norwegian claims.

In the municipal reform of 2008 the East Coast was merged with Nuuk and adjacent west coast districts to form the bi-coastal Sermersooq municipality, the largest municpality in the world with a territory the size of metropolitan France + the island of Ireland. This gave access to better services, but also a loss of autonomy.

Politically speaking its a place where the personal vote matters and can as such be quite volatile. Its less dominated by Siumut than remote areas elsewhere in Greenland and has traditionally had a significant Atassut vote. The presence of strong local candidates is often decisive and IA e.g. managed to get a third of the vote in 2009.

The east coast has many dysfunctional and alcoholised families dependent on welfare, but those that aren't are a resourceful and self sufficent lot eeking out a living under some of the harshest conditions in the world, and that means that there is a potential centre-right vote which can be mobilized during the right circumstances (and by the right candidates).

With Atassut dying and their East Coast MP Mala Høy Kuko switching to Siumut the most interesting aspect will be if their voters will follow him, or if there will be an opening for other centre-right parties despite the Democrats and the Cooperation Party not being natural fits for the East Coast.

IA has the mayor in Sermersooq (the very capable Asii Chemnitz Narup) and the election may also reflect how East Greenlanders view their Nuuk based mayor.

Votes in 2014 with the national average in parenthesis:

Tasiilaq

Atassut 23.7% (6.5)
Democrats 8.0% (11.8)
IA 18.5% (33.2)
Naleraq 9.5% (11.6)
Siumut 38.8% (34.3)

Ittoqqortoormiit

Atassut 11.2% (6.5)
Democrats 0.5% (11.8)
IA 34.6% (33.2)
Naleraq 16.6% (11.6)
Siumut 33.7% (34.3)

Ittoqqortoormiit is very volatile and personal vote based, and Atassut got 40.1% in 2013.

[Deleted]

7% of the population in a remote sparsely populated area, speaking an unintelligible dialect, politically volatile, with many dysfunctional families reliant on welfare and alcohol...

Are you sure this is Eastern Greenland you are reviewing and not Scotland?

[Deleted]

IA have presented their electoral platform. The most important elements are:

- Building a thousand new non-profit housing units all over the country, including multi-generational homes for extended families.
- Better financing opportunities for renters who want to buy their house or apartment. 
- Three tax free years for entrepreneurs launching start-ups. 
- A new and clearer mandate for the Constitutional Commission and a broad based representation from all sectors in society in the commission, not just MPs, they also want the Greenlandic youth involved via social media input.
- A tax reform with progressive income tax so people with low incomes pay the least (for a country that has been ruled by the left since the introduction of home rule in 1979 Greenland has a remarkable regressive tax system and a level of inequality similar to the United States), tax credits for families with many children and single parents, identical municipal tax in all municipalities, a tax deduction for people in employment, public subsides to be reorganized by need based criteria. 
- Lowering the maximum number of pupils in elementary schools from 26 to 18.
- Two teachers per class in the youngest classes.
- Resident adult supervisors/mentors in all student homes.

[Deleted]

So far only greenchristian has liked these posts, and I am not sure how much interest there is, but continuing beyond Cape Farewell to beautiful Southern Greenland anyway.

The region is among the places in the world that stands to gain the most from climate change and its agricultural output (#) is rapidly increasing, as is its partly Norse legacy based tourist sector, but its fish stocks are less valuable than further north and it is generally losing population. Politically speaking its a typical two-party region, in the far south IA is able to rival Siumut, whereas Siumut dominates further north.

Its American built airport at Narsarsuaq is not located near any of the towns and building a new airport between the main population center Qaqortoq and Narsaq is an important issue down there; unlike the rest of Greenland the towns in the far south are close enough that a highway net could realistically be built, though that issue has so far been dormant in this campaign. 

# While potatoes are grown in sheltered ravines etc. further north the far south is for natural reasons the only part of Greenland that has an agricultural sector, average temperatures are now at slightly above Norse settlement era level and more crops can be grown. Sheep farming has been a mainstay of the regional economy since the 1920s, and while reindeer farming is still marginal a few large scale operations have been up and running for a decade.

.....

As in the previous post I will give the 2014 numbers with the national average in parenthesis.

Nanortalik is the southernmost town in Greenland with around 1,300 inhabitants, which is down 200+ in the last decade. Its south of the RAL passenger ship route and a place in crisis. Siumut dominates, but unusually for such a peripheral place IA is on their national average. 

Siumut 49.1 (34.3)
Naleraq 7.2 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.1 (1.6)

IA 32.9 (33.2)

Atassut 6.3 (6.5)
Democrats 2.8 (11.8)

Moving north to Narsaq (incl. the tiny airport community at Narsarsuaq) IA actually leads here. This is mainly due to the debacle around the Kvanefjeld mountain 10 km from the town, which contains some of the largest rare earth and uranium deposits in the world. Uranium mining splits the local community, with the bulk of the youth eyeing jobs, but many in the older generations fearing contamination of streams and berry sites (though the divide is far from purely along generational lines). Uranium mining was a dominant issue in the 2014 campaign with Siumut being pro-extraction and IA against, both for environmebtal and anti-nuclear weapons reasons. Right now the matter is awaiting the final EIA from the (partly Chinese owned) Greenlandic subsidiary of Australian based licensee Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd.

Narsaq has a little over1,400 inhabitants, which is down 200 from a decade ago.

Siumut 38.3  (34.3)
Naleraq 5.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.2 (1.6)

IA 42.7 (33.2)

(IA notably got 58.9% in tiny Narsarsuaq, probably due to a higher educational level in the airport community)

Atassut 5.8  (6.5)
Democrats 5.3 (11.8)

Qaqortoq is the capital of the Kujalleq ("South") municipality and the 4th largest town in Greenland at around 3,150 people, down a hundred during the last decade. It has a bit of fishing, a large tannery and skin processing factory and a couple of boatyards, but is otherwise mainly an educational centre and service town. Siumut gets a majority on their own here (with Naleraq so far being a non-entity), but IA is above a quarter of the vote. 

Siumut 53.7 (34.3)
Naleraq 3.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.4 (1.6)

IA 27.8 (33.2)

Atassut 5.2  (6.5)
Democrats 7.0 (11.8)

Paamiut 260 km further up the coast now has less than 1,500 inhabitants after losing more than a third of its population in the last 30 years. During the 60s cod boom it was projected to become the second largest town in Greenland with a 10,000+ population; then the cod stocks disappeared from the banks in the early 70s and since then time has mostly stood still and anyone with ambitions are leaving for Nuuk. Unlike the other towns in Southern Greenland its even in the Nuuk dominated Sermersooq municipality. Siumut get a majority on their own in these parts, but IA still retain a respectable following. 

Siumut 54.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 6.8 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.5 (1.6)

IA 25.1 (33.2)

Atassut 4.1 (6.5)
Democrats 6.1 (11.8)

[Deleted]

The first poll from HS Analyse conducted 21-24/3 with a 2.7 MoE shows near status quo from the 2014 election with Atassut losing a seat and Nunatta Qitornai getting one as the only changes. That means that IA + Democrats lack a seat for a majority like they did last time. A third of the voters are still undecided and the parties do not need to present candidate lists before April 3, and with a significant personal vote that will likely change the picture a bit. 

It looks like the final death of Atassut may be postponed for one more election, while the Cooperation Party hasn't taken off and Naleraq is losing a point despite incorporating Partii Inuit.

Siumut Family: 15

Siumut 32.6 (11)
Naleraq 10.6 (3)
Nunatta Qitornai 4.6 (1)

IA 33.7 (11)

Centre-right: 5

Atassut 4.1 (1)
Democrats 12.6 (4)
Cooperation Party 1.8 (0)

[Deleted]

Passing Nuuk and moving on to Central Greenland (or rather the non-Nuuk Fjord part of it) we reach self-confident Sisimiut, the second largest town in the country with 5,700 inhabitants, a dynamic business council and a can-do mentality. It is an in-between town located north of the Polar Circle, but south of the sledge dog zone (so they got European dogs). Its the administrative center of the Qeqqata municipality that also includes Maniitsoq. 130 km inland in a sheltered valley at the head of the longest fjord in Western Greenland lies the main Greenlandic air hub Kangerlussuaq, the former Sondrestrom Air Base, which is now a tourist and hunting town with a significant Danish minority among its 500 inhabitants. In the 60s the Americans offered to built a road between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq, but were turned down by the Danish government that feared Americanization of the entire region. If the road had been built Sisimiut would likely have overtaken Nuuk. Recently the municipality decided to built a three meter broad so-called nature road through the rugged terrain, passable outside the May-June thaw and the harshest winter months, and once completed they will no doubt find the funds to update it to a proper road within a decade or so.

Former PM, village shopkeeper and Naleraq founder Hans Enoksen hails from the Itilleq settlement in Qeqqata and that home turf advantage shows. In addition Sisimiut is the sort of well-off fishing community where Naleraq cut deep into the Siumut vote in 2014. The party dropped nearly 16% and Naleraq picked up nearly all of it and then some. On the centre-right there was a change of guard with Atassut losing nearly half their vote and the hitherto mainly Nuuk based Democrats doubling their share to 10%. With a relatively large affluent middle class Sisimiut should be the sort of place the Democrats could expand their vote further this time. With several schools and plenty of public sector employment IA have a respectable vote slightly below their national average. 

Sisimiut

Siumut 30.9 (34.3)
Naleraq 20.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.8 (1.6)

IA 30.6 (33.2)

Democrats 10.3 (11.8)
Atassut 4.5 (6.5)

Located within the Sisimiut district (and therefore included in the Sisimiut numbers) is the airport town of Kangerlussuaq. Its relatively high educational level and significant Danish minority makes it favourable terrain for IA and the Democrats and one of the worst places for Siumut in these parts; in 2013 Partii Inuit did well among those who dislike the Danish presence, but it collapsed in 2014 with a four point drop, while Naleraq noticeable did better than Siumut. 

Siumut 16.2 (34.3)
Naleraq 19.0 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 0.8 (1.6) 

IA 38.7 (33.2)

Democrats 16.2 (11.8)
Atassut 7.1 (6.5)

Moving back towards Nuuk we reach Maniitsoq with 2,600 inhabitants, down 600 over the last 30 years. Its the sixth largest town in Greenland and has the best hydro energy potential in the country; there were once plans of building a big Icelandic style aluminum smelter, but it came to nothing and despite a surge in tourism (it has some of the finest skiing terrain in Geenland) the town suffers from being caught between more vibrant Sisimiut and Nuuk and keeps losing population. As one would expect from a stagnant west coast community Siumut dominates, although they lost 11 points last time - most of it likely to Naleraq, with IA in a weak position. As elsewhere in the region Partii Inuit collapsed and lost six points, but their nationalist voters may be looking for a new home and if Nunatta Qitornai find the right candidate they could challenge Naleraq for that vote. Its an Atassut stronghold and unlike most other places their vote held up last time, but can it last? The Democrats are still tiny, but nearly doubled their vote as part of their advance in provincial Greenland, I would expect that trend to continue. 

Siumut 43.0 (34.3)
Naleraq 14.2 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 0.9 (1.6)

IA 21.8 (33.2)

Democrats 3.8 (11.8)
Atassut 15.4 (6.5)

[Andrew_S]

Mar 28, 2018 14:19:51 GMT @vintris said:

So far only greenchristian has liked these posts, and I am not sure how much interest there is, but continuing beyond Cape Farewell to beautiful Southern Greenland anyway.

The region is among the places in the world that stands to gain the most from climate change and its agricultural output (#) is rapidly increasing, as is its partly Norse legacy based tourist sector, but its fish stocks are less valuable than further north and it is generally losing population. Politically speaking its a typical two-party region, in the far south IA is able to rival Siumut, whereas Siumut dominates further north.

Its American built airport at Narsarsuaq is not located near any of the towns and building a new airport between the main population center Qaqortoq and Narsaq is an important issue down there; unlike the rest of Greenland the towns in the far south are close enough that a highway net could realistically be built, though that issue has so far been dormant in this campaign. 

# While potatoes are grown in sheltered ravines etc. further north the far south is for natural reasons the only part of Greenland that has an agricultural sector, average temperatures are now at slightly above Norse settlement era level and more crops can be grown. Sheep farming has been a mainstay of the regional economy since the 1920s, and while reindeer farming is still marginal a few large scale operations have been up and running for a decade.

.....

As in the previous post I will give the 2014 numbers with the national average in parenthesis.

Nanortalik is the southernmost town in Greenland with around 1,300 inhabitants, which is down 200+ in the last decade. Its south of the RAL passenger ship route and a place in crisis. Siumut dominates, but unusually for such a peripheral place IA is on their national average. 

Siumut 49.1 (34.3)
Naleraq 7.2 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.1 (1.6)

IA 32.9 (33.2)

Atassut 6.3 (6.5)
Democrats 2.8 (11.8)

Moving north to Narsaq (incl. the tiny airport community at Narsarsuaq) IA actually leads here. This is mainly due to the debacle around the Kvanefjeld mountain 10 km from the town, which contains some of the largest rare earth and uranium deposits in the world. Uranium mining splits the local community, with the bulk of the youth eyeing jobs, but many in the older generations fearing contamination of streams and berry sites (though the divide is far from purely along generational lines). Uranium mining was a dominant issue in the 2014 campaign with Siumut being pro-extraction and IA against, both for environmebtal and anti-nuclear weapons reasons. Right now the matter is awaiting the final EIA from the (partly Chinese owned) Greenlandic subsidiary of Australian based licensee Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd.

Narsaq has a little over1,400 inhabitants, which is down 200 from a decade ago.

Siumut 38.3  (34.3)
Naleraq 5.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.2 (1.6)

IA 42.7 (33.2)

(IA notably got 58.9% in tiny Narsarsuaq, probably due to a higher educational level in the airport community)

Atassut 5.8  (6.5)
Democrats 5.3 (11.8)

Qaqortoq is the capital of the Kujalleq ("South") municipality and the 4th largest town in Greenland at around 3,150 people, down a hundred during the last decade. It has a bit of fishing, a large tannery and skin processing factory and a couple of boatyards, but is otherwise mainly an educational centre and service town. Siumut gets a majority on their own here (with Naleraq so far being a non-entity), but IA is above a quarter of the vote. 

Siumut 53.7 (34.3)
Naleraq 3.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.4 (1.6)

IA 27.8 (33.2)

Atassut 5.2  (6.5)
Democrats 7.0 (11.8)

Paamiut 260 km further up the coast now has less than 1,500 inhabitants after losing more than a third of its population in the last 30 years. During the 60s cod boom it was projected to become the second largest town in Greenland with a 10,000+ population; then the cod stocks disappeared from the banks in the early 70s and since then time has mostly stood still and anyone with ambitions are leaving for Nuuk. Unlike the other towns in Southern Greenland its even in the Nuuk dominated Sermersooq municipality. Siumut get a majority on their own in these parts, but IA still retain a respectable following. 

Siumut 54.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 6.8 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.5 (1.6)

IA 25.1 (33.2)

Atassut 4.1 (6.5)
Democrats 6.1 (11.8)

We are interested, thanks for the posts.

[Crimson King]

agree, but I doubt any of us are in a position to add anything useful

[yellowperil]

That is indeed the only problem with this thread, it does tend to be all one way traffic. It's interesting stuff but feels a bit like the political systems of Mars, so quite difficult to engage in debate as we have few points of reference. We may try a few questions but they feel a bit shallow or frivolous because we are so out of it. This may be true up to a point with a number of the more obscure countries around the world, but somehow if you are in Africa or South America or Asia there are more familiar themes that keep coming up, and this seems so , well, Arctic.

[Deleted]

Nunatta Qitornai want to restructure both municipal services and fishing over two terms to secure the basis for independence - I haven't seen their plan (the article of behind a paywall), but it includes reestablishing 17 municipalities (rather than the five big ones today) to secure services closer to the citizens and avoid depopulation, which doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for a cheaper administration. The 2008 municipal reform has been fairly efficient in halting the growth in public expenses, and it would probably be sensible to do away with municipalities all together and simply run the whole public sector from Nuuk combined with local boards for various self-owning institutions. Its also hard to see how Greenland can become economically self-sufficent without concentrating the population further, but that is a very sensitive issue.

[Deleted]

Former Siumut PM and current Independent MP in the Folketing Aleqa Hammond (kicked out of Siumut a couple of years ago for yet another instance of abusing public credit cards for private purposes)  is running for Nunatta Qitornai.  

[Deleted]

Public broadcaster KNR has drawn the ire of all the small parties after announcing a so-called head-to-head debate between Kim Kielsen and Sarah Olsvig on April 22 ("this isn't a two-party system!" etc.).

They will also not hold separate Danish and Greenlandic "town halls" outside of Nuuk as usual but do simultaneous translation of all questions and answers from the candidates and the audience.

Town halls:

Ilulissat – 3/4 19:30 – 22:25
Aasiaat – 5/4 19:30 – 22:25
Sisimiut –7/4 14:00 – 16:55
Qaqortoq – 10/4 19:30 – 22:25
Nuuk – 21/4 14:00 – 16:15 (Greenlandic)
Nuuk – 21/4 16:30 – 18:25 (Danish)

[johnloony]

I was reading up on Greenland generally the other day, just to inform myself of stuff generally (so that I can understand this thread better) and came across this brutalist ugly monstrous white elephant:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blok_P

The size and floor plan of the apartments were entirely unsuitable for the Inuit lifestyle, with narrow doorways making it difficult, or sometimes impossible to enter and exit wearing thick cold weather clothing, and common European style wardrobes were too small to store fishing gear. This gear was then stored on the balconies, blocking fire exits and creating a security hazard.[4] During the first years there were minor problems with coagulated blood clogging up the drainage, stemming from the fishermen using the only available reasonable place to carve up their catch: the bathtubs.

People with an urban European mindset unthinkingly trying to impose their values on an unsuitable population in an unsuitable area. An Arctic version of Ceausescu's "systematisation" of thousands of Romanian villages.

[Deleted]

Moving further up the coast to the sprawling Disko Bay region, which is the heart of Northern Greenland with floating icebergs, howling sledge dogs, shrieking ravens, bleak polar nights during the winter and midnight sun in the summertime.



Its the most populous region outside of Nuuk with five towns and a plethora of minor settlements. While climate change has made the sea ice thinner and much less dependable these parts are still inaccessibly by ship for several months in the winter season and dog sleds are still in common use. Until the 1st of January this year all of the region was united in the world's largest municipality Qaasuitsup ("the place of Polar darkness"), which was a bit bigger than Ukraine and Moldova combined. Now its largest town Ilulissat is in the Avannaata ("northern") municipality together with the communities in the far north, while the rest makes up the Qeqertalik ("with islands") municipality administered from Aasiaat (a town aptly located on a smallish island in the middle of an archipelago). 

The first populated place we reach is Kangatsiaq, located on a small peninsula on the south side of the bay. Its hardly a town, but more of a large fishing and seal hunting village of 520, losing 150 inhabitants over the last fifteen years, but was officially promoted to a town in 1986 when it had around 750 inhabitants and was assumed to grow further. It doesn't have an airport and rely on helicopters and dogsleds in the winter. 

As one would expect for a (de facto) large settlement in the north Kangatsiaq is dominated by Siumut. The substantial Naleraq vote in 2014 was bigger than the Siumut loss and the 7.5 points Partiii Inuit lost combined. Its the sort of place where Atassut remain twice as big as the Democrats despite the latter getting ten times their previous vote - due to the familiar “getting on the mental radar of settlement people” effect - and the combined centre-right vote is negligible. IA get a quarter of the vote, well below their national average, but still a respectable share reflecting the close contact to Aasiaat.

Siumut 45.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 16.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.7 (1.6)

IA 25.2 (33.2)

Democrats 3.3 (11.8)
Atassut 6.9 (6.5)

On a small island across the bay we reach the educational and administrative center of Aasiaat, which is the 5th largest town in Greenland with 3,100 people. Its a stagnant place with a boatyard and a shrimp factory, but not nearly enough jobs for the locals. Though regaining its position as a municipal center has improved things a bit.

IA was founded in Aasiaat and the town remain a stronghold for the party which got nearly half the vote in 2014. The Democrats tripled their vote and Partii Inuit dropped eight points, a vote that seems to have been diffused on a number of parties. Siumut lost nearly nine points, most of which was picked up by Naleraq.

The mayor of newly established Qeqertalik is Ane Hansen, who is a former mayor of Aasiaat and - notably - just a corrupt as your average Siumut politician. She is married to a large local contractor and once circumvented a rule about sending a school renovation in public licitation by dividing the project into 28 different contracts, one for each classroom, which were then all assigned to her husband's firm. Although Hansen isn't on the ballot her reemergence as mayor could hurt IA a bit.

Siumut 19.4 (34.3)
Naleraq 10.7 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 2.9 (1.6)

IA 49.3 (33.2)

Democrats 8.3 (11.8)
Atassut 6.8 (6.5)

To reach our third town, pretty Qeqertarsuaq on the south end of the large Disko Island (home of the scientific Arctic Station), we have to sail north through the archipelago. Its the best sheltered natural harbour in Greenland (its Danish name literally means “good harbour”) with a little over 800 inhabitants, down from 1,100 a decade ago. Everyone on the Disko Island (the size of Corsica) lives in the town apart from 50 people in the tiny Kangerluk settlement a two-hour boat ride away. Despite its northern location its main ties are to Aasiaat, which is reflected in a relatively strong IA vote around the national average and an unusually low Siumut vote for Northern Greenland. The Naleraq vote was virtually identical to the Siumut loss, and while Partii Inuit lost six points they did not collapse here. On the centre-right the Democrats more than doubled their vote with Atassut remaining steady at a very low level.

Siumut 28.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 13.2 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 10.0 (1.6)

IA 34.7 (33.2)

Democrats 9.8 (11.8)
Atassut 3.4 (6.5)

Back on the mainland we reach the town of Qasigiannguit some 25 kilometers south of the Ilulissat Icefjord with 1,100 inhabitants, down 100 during the last decade). Its a fishig town whose main income comes from the valuable Greenland halibut and shrimps. Despite its closeness to Ilulissat it chose to become part of Qeqertalik.

Siumut got nearly half the vote in 2014, and noticeable the Naleraq vote is only slightly bigger than the ten point Siumut lost despite Partii Inuit losing 5.5 point. IA had a very good election here and are slowly climbing towards their national average, but still has a bit left to go. The Democrats nearly tripled their vote, but as elsewhere in the region it was from a very low starting point.

Siumut 49.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 11.3 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.7 (1.6)

IA 28.7 (33.2)

Democrats 4.3 (11.8)
Atassut 3.8 (6.5)

Near the mouth of the mighty Ilulissat Icefjord we find the spread out town of Ilulissat; the capital of the newly created Avannaata municipality and with more than 4,500 souls and 3,200 sledge dogs the 3rd largest town in Greenland. It used to have 60% of the tourist trade in the country, but that might be closer to 50% the days after the cruise ship tourism has taken off. Besides tourism and assorted trades such as fur produts Greenland halibut and shrimp fishing accounts for most of the income. Its a relatively wealthy and industrious town by Greenlandic standards. 

Naleraq won nearly 20%, while Siumut “only” lost 12, most of the difference being explained by a seven point loss to Partii Inuit, which suffered yet another near collapse here. IA was at 28.4% after losing a couple of points, which is respectable for Northern Greenland and reflect the relatively high number of well-educated people. The Democrats more than doubled to 11.5%, while Atassut lost nearly half their vote, so the usual “change of guard” occurred on the centre-right. The Democrats are now at their national average. Its the sort of place Nunatta Qutornai needs to do well in, but with the locally popular former mayor of Illulissat Anthon Frederiksen as one of the main figures in Naleraq that may be quite hard for them.

Siumut 33.1 (34.3)
Naleraq 19.8 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 2.0 (1.6)

IA 28.4 (33.2)

Democrats 11.5 (11.8)
Atassut 4.8 (6.5)

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The far north

Ilulissat is the end of the line for the RAL passenger ships, further north the population depend on expensive flights for long distance travel and many haven't seen relatives from other parts of the country for a decade or more; despite a recent upsurge in cruiseship tourism relatively few visitors venture this far north.

The small settlements in the north are slowly being depopulated and the people that leave are often by-passing the local towns and moving all the way down to the Disko Bay area or the central coast.

The far north is the Siumut heartland and while it has become slightly more diverse in recent years with the arrival of Naleraq and a growing small party vote politics up there is still mostly a family matter within the extended Siumut family with voting patterns determined by clientelistic networks and communal ties. Its a place where Nunatta Qitornai needs to win big if they are to have a chance.

On a small island below a heartshaped mountain we meet the first town Uummannaq with around 1,050 people, down 200+ in the last decade. Its the hometown of Aleqa Hammond, and Nunatta Qitornai will likely become bigger than Siumut here. Its a place where Atassut hasn't collapsed, but the Democrats quadrupled last time and will likely chip away more of the centre-right vote this time. IA gained two points last time, but they are still weak and with a low educational level and being outside local clientelistic networks they lack the basis for a genuine breakthrough. The Naleraq vote is nearly exclusively ex-Siumut in these parts, and they are also in danger of losing out to Nunatta Qitornai. The district includes seven settlements with a larger combined population than the town.

Siumut 57.1 (34.3)
Naleraq 12.3 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.4 (1.6)

IA 19.0 (33.2)

Democrats 4.0 (11.8)
Atassut 5.8 (6.5)

On another little island some 275 km further north we get to Upernavik, which has 1,050 inhabitants and a declining population trend. More than 1,600 people live in the nine settlements in the district, some of these are very remote and among the most traditional communities in Greenland.

The combined Siumut and Naleraq vote is at 65%, the main reason its slightly lower than in Uummannaq is that Atassut are still in double digits in Upernavik. IA are as weak as in Uummannaq for the same reasons, and the Democrats even further from a breakthrough despite doubling their vote in 2014.

Siumut 46.9 (34.3)
Naleraq 18.1 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 1.7 (1.6)

IA 18.9. (33.2)

Democrats 2.7 (11.8)
Atassut 11.4 (6.5)

North of Upernavik the inhospitable 400 km long Melville Coast starts. The ice reaches the sea along most of this stretch and even the hardy musk ox couldn't pass it, which is why the West Greenlandic herd solely descends from released animals.

The population in the actual North Greenland (as opposed to the northern part of the West Coast) therefore mainly descends from the Inughuit people (“Polar Eskimos”) which moved there in the 18th century from present day Nunavut, and most of the locals in the region still speak the Inuktun language, a dialect of Canadian Inuktitut language, though everyone also speaks West Greenlandic.

A little over 600 people live in Qaanaaq and around 120 in the three settlements that are still populated. Settlement depopulation has been especially rapid up here and several settlements have been closed down during the last decade.

The bulk of the population descends from families that were evicted in 1953 from the area the Thule Air Base was built on (a much better hunting ground) and the bitterness about this runs deep. Most of the locals would like to see the base closed down.

Nunatta Qitornai founder Vittus Qujaukitsoq hails from Qaanaaq, and the party will likely be in first place up here.

Siumut retained nearly half the vote after dropping a couple of points in 2014. The Naleraq vote was above the national average and likely mostly made up of the five point drop in the Partii Inuit vote and the bulk of the 5.5 drop in the Atassut vote. Atassut retain a significant presence up here, and while the Democrats got six times as many votes last time they still aren't a factor. Its among the weakest IA areas in the country as the party lacks its natural constituency of well-educated public employees and is outside local clientilistic networks.

Siumut 46.5 (34.3)
Naleraq 14.6 (11.6)
Partii Inuit 2.7 (1.6)

IA 14.4 (33.2)

Democrats 2.5 (11.8)
Atassut 18.9 (6.5)

...

Since the entire NE Greenland constitutes the world's largest national park at 972.000 km² and has no voters this concludes my description of the electoral geography in Greenland.

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Lecturer at the Teacher's College in Nuuk Per Kunuk Lynge is mad at Vittus Q. for naming his separatist party after the patriotic and "lets modernize the country" youth association Nunavta Qitornai (pre-1973 spelling) that his grandfather the poet, educator and politician Augo Lynge founded in 1941. Augo L. was - together with his distant relative Frederik Lynge - the first Greenlandic MPs after the end of colonialism in 1953 and a prominent advocate for close cooperation between Greenland and Denmark and the incorporation of Greenland into the Danish state (him and Frederik testified before the UN decolonization committee that the incorporation was the will of the Greenlandic people despite no referendum being held). Lynge has criticized the use of the name for a separatist party as disrespectful to the memory of his grandfather. It is definitely pretty cheeky to use that particular name in this context given that its hard to find a more prominent Greenlandic unionist than Augo Lynge.

Augo L. was himself a lecturer at the Teacher's College for two decades, so its funny his grandchild has the same job. The college was founded back in 1847 as the first academic institution in Greenland and has played a vital role for the preservation and development of the Greenlandic language. Its name in Greenlandic is Ilinniarfissuaq ("The great place of learning"), which is a pretty grand name for a Teacher's College. Before the University of Greenland was established in the late 80s Ilinniarfissuaq was the place that educated the Greenlandic elite, which is why the entire home rule generation of political leaders were teachers.

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Nunatta Qitornai suggest privatizing either Royal Greenland, TELE Greenland, KNI or RAL to finance a fund that can provide investments, loans and guarantees for start-ups and innovative projects. Using public money to finance "creative" projects usually ends in nepotism and borderline corruption in Greenland, so probably not the best idea. The IA proposal of tax free status for entrepreneurs in three years sounds more promising (although that can of course be abused as well).