Left-wing party wins Greenland election, opposes big mining project
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[April 07, 2021]
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A left-wing
party that opposes a large rare earth mining project has become the
biggest in parliament after securing more than a third of votes in a
snap election.
The result of Tuesday's election casts doubt on the mining complex at
Kvanefjeld in the south of the Arctic island and sends a strong signal
to international mining companies wanting to exploit Greenland's vast
untapped mineral resources.
The Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party won 37% of votes, compared to 26% in
the last election four years ago, overtaking the ruling social
democratic Siumut party which secured 29% of votes, according to
official results.
The pro-mining Siumut party has been in power most of the time since
1979.
Though not opposed outright to mining, IA has a strong environmental
focus. It has campaigned to halt the Kvanefjeld project, which aside
from rare earths including neodymium - which is used in wind turbines,
electric vehicles and combat aircraft - also contains uranium.
"This will without doubt hamper mining development in Greenland," said
Mikaa Mered, lecturer on Arctic affairs at HEC business school in Paris.
While most Greenlanders see mining as an important path towards
independence, the Kvanefjeld mine has been a contention point for years,
sowing deep divisions in the government and population over
environmental concerns.
"It's not that Greenlanders don't want mining, but they don't want dirty
mining," Mered said, referring to uranium and rare earth projects.
"Greenlanders are sending a strong message that for them it's not worth
sacrificing the environment to achieve independence and economic
development."
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Members of IA (Inuit Ataqatigiit) celebrate following the exit pools
during Greenland's election in Nuuk, Greenland April 6, 2021. Ritzau
Scanpix/via REUTERS
CHALLENGES AHEAD
The island of 56,000 people, which former U.S. President Donald
Trump offered to buy in 2019, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but
has broad autonomy.
IA leader Mute Egede, 34, will be first to try to form a new
government. A potential government ally could be the Naleraq, an
independence party that also opposes the Kvanefjeld project.
Support from Prime Minister Kim Kielsen and his governing Siumut
party helped license-holder Greenland Minerals gain preliminary
approval for the project last year, paving the way for a public
hearing.
The Australian firm has already spent more than $100 million
preparing the mine and has proven processing technology through its
Chinese partner Shenghe Resources.
"The challenge for IA will be to explain to the world that Greenland
is still open for business and still an attractive mining
jurisdiction," said Dwayne Menezes, head of London-based think-tank
Polar Research and Policy Initiative.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Andrew Heavens and
Timothy Heritage)
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