Prime Minister of Greenland
| Prime Minister of Greenland | |
|---|---|
| Naalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat | |
 | |
 | |
 Incumbent since 7 April 2025Jens-Frederik Nielsen | |
| Government of Greenland | |
| Status | His Excellency (diplomatic)[1] |
| Member of | Cabinet of Greenland |
| Residence | B-29 |
| Seat | Inatsisartut, Nuuk |
| Appointer | Parliament |
| Term length | Four years, renewable |
| Precursor | Governor of Greenland |
| Formation | 1 May 1979 |
| First holder | Jonathan Motzfeldt |
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The prime minister of Greenland (Greenlandic: Naalakkersuisut siulittaasuat, lit. 'Leader of the government'; Danish: Landsstyreformand), also known as the premier of Greenland,[2] is the head of government of Greenland, a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The prime minister is usually the person who is leader of the majority party in the Parliament of Greenland (Inatsisartut). Jonathan Motzfeldt became the first prime minister after home rule was granted to Greenland in 1979. The incumbent prime minister is Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Difference from the prime minister of Denmark
Greenland's prime minister leads the domestic Greenlandic government (Naalakkersuisut) in areas transferred to self-rule, while the prime minister of Denmark leads the national government handling reserved matters (foreign policy, defense, monetary issues, citizenship, etc.). Under the 2009 Self-Government Act, Greenland controls its internal legislative and executive powers, whereas the Danish prime minister (as head of the realm's government) handles foreign affairs, defense, and other Kingdom-wide issues, with formal limits and required consultations.[3][4]
Within Greenland's self-government framework, the Greenlandic prime minister implements laws in transferred policy areas. By law, Greenlandic authorities "include legislative, executive and judicial powers in those areas that are within Greenlandic competence",[4] so the Greenlandic prime minister leads the autonomous Greenland government accountable to Greenland's parliament (Inatsisartut). In contrast, the Danish prime minister has no direct executive or legislative authority in Greenland's self-governing areas.[5] The Self-Government Act explicitly treats "foreign, defence and security policy" as the prerogative of the Danish Government (after consulting Greenland if Greenlandic interests are involved).[3] Thus, the Danish prime minister (via the Government) manages Denmark's foreign and security policy (limited by required Folketing consent for wars or territorial changes), whereas the Greenlandic prime minister has no role in these areas.[6]
Specific powers the Danish prime minister/Government has regarding Greenland include: negotiating international treaties and agreements for the Kingdom (with mandatory information or consultation for those important to Greenland); deciding Greenland's defense and security policy (subject to constitutional constraints and Folketing approval);[6] presenting bills to the Folketing that would apply to Greenland (after submitting them to the Greenland government for comment as required by the Self-Government Act); issuing administrative orders affecting Greenland (also subject to prior Greenlandic consultation); and overseeing common matters like the annual subsidy to Greenland's self-government. In the case of Greenlandic moves toward independence, the Danish prime minister must negotiate terms with Greenland's government, and any final agreement would need Inatsisartut's approval, a Greenland referendum, and Folketing consent.[7]
List of prime ministers of Greenland
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) |
Term of office | Party | Elected | Cabinet(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 | .jpg)
|
Jonathan Motzfeldt (1938–2010) |
1 May 1979 | 18 March 1991 | 11 years, 321 days | Siumut | 1979 | Motzfeldt I | |
| 1983 | Motzfeldt II | ||||||||
| 1984 | Motzfeldt III | ||||||||
| 1987 | Motzfeldt IV | ||||||||
| – | Motzfeldt V | ||||||||
| 2 | 
|
Lars-Emil Johansen (born 1946) |
18 March 1991 | 19 September 1997 | 6 years, 185 days | Siumut | 1991 | Johansen I | |
| 1995 | Johansen II | ||||||||
| (1) |
|
Jonathan Motzfeldt (1938–2010) |
19 September 1997 | 14 December 2002 | 5 years, 86 days | Siumut | – | Motzfeldt VI | |
| 1999 | Motzfeldt VII | ||||||||
| – | Motzfeldt VIII | ||||||||
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Hans Enoksen (1956–2025) |
14 December 2002 | 12 June 2009 | 6 years, 180 days | Siumut | 2002 | Enoksen I | |
| – | Enoksen II | ||||||||
| – | Enoksen III | ||||||||
| 2005 | Enoksen IV | ||||||||
| – | Enoksen V | ||||||||
| 4 | .jpg)
|
Kuupik Kleist (born 1958) |
12 June 2009 | 5 April 2013 | 3 years, 297 days | Inuit Ataqatigiit | 2009 | Kleist | |
| 5 | .jpg)
|
Aleqa Hammond (born 1965) |
5 April 2013 | 30 September 2014 | 1 year, 178 days | Siumut | 2013 | Hammond I | |
| – | Hammond II | ||||||||
| 6 | .jpg)
|
Kim Kielsen (born 1966) |
30 September 2014 | 23 April 2021 | 6 years, 205 days | Siumut | – | Kielsen I | |
| 2014 | Kielsen II | ||||||||
| – | Kielsen III | ||||||||
| 2018 | Kielsen IV | ||||||||
| – | Kielsen V | ||||||||
| – | Kielsen VI | ||||||||
| – | Kielsen VII | ||||||||
| 7 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Múte Bourup Egede (born 1987) |
23 April 2021 | 7 April 2025 | 3 years, 349 days | Inuit Ataqatigiit | 2021 | Egede I | |
| – | Egede II | ||||||||
| 8 |
|
Jens-Frederik Nielsen (born 1991) |
7 April 2025 | Incumbent | 1 year, 22 days | Democrats | 2025 | Nielsen | |
Timeline
See also
- List of governors of Greenland
References
- ^ [1], Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations.
- ^ Members of the Cabinet Archived 2013-01-26 at the Wayback Machine Government of Greenland
- ^ a b Ackrén, Maria; Jakobsen, Uffe (2015). "Greenland as a self-governing sub-national territory in international relations: past, current and future perspectives" (PDF). Polar Record. 51 (259): 404–412. doi:10.1017/S003224741400028X. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 January 2025.
- ^ a b Ackrén, Maria (January 2022). "Development of Autonomy in Greenland – From Home Rule to Self-Government" (PDF). Autonomy Arrangements in the World. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ Constantin, Sergiu (16 March 2026). "Greenland's autonomy: "Nothing about us without us"". Eurac Research. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ a b Antsygina, Ekaterina (24 January 2025). "The Legal Debate Surrounding Greenland and Denmark: Unpacking Donald Trump's Statements". European Journal of International Law. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ Paul, Michael (28 January 2021). Greenland's Project Independence: Ambitions and Prospects after 300 Years with the Kingdom of Denmark (Report). SWP Comment. Berlin: German Institute for International and Security Affairs. p. 8. doi:10.18449/2021C10. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026.
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