Government & politics — Greenland
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Greenland: None
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
None
- Country Name
Greenland
- Local - Long
None
- Local - Short
Kalaallit Nunaat
- Etymology- history of name
Mamed by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 to entice settlers to the island
- Independence
None (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland)
- National Holiday
National Day, June 21; note - marks the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
Political system
- Government Type
Parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut)
- Constitution
History: Previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act)
- Legal System:
The laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner J
- ulie Praest WILCHE (since May 2022) (2024) head of government: Prime
- Minister Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (since 28 March 2025) cabinet: Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected
- by the Parliament (Inatsisartut) election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indire
- ctly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term election results: 2025:
- Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (D) elected premier 2021: Mute B. EGEDE elected premier; Parli
- ament vote - Mute B. EGEDE (Inuit Ataqatigiit) unanimous 2014: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8%
- Legislative Branch:
Description
Unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote - by the d'Hondt method - to serve 4-year terms) Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms Eelections: Greenland Parliament - last held on 6 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025) Greenland members to Danish Parliament - last held on 5 June 2019 (next to be held by 4 June 2023)
Election Results
- Greenland Parliament - percent of vote by party - IA 38.7%, S 32.2%, N 12.9%, D 9.7%, A 6.5%
- seats by party - IA 12, S 10, N 4, D 3, A 2;
Composition
- men 21, women 10, percent of women 32.2% Greenland members in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA
- seats by party - IA 1, S 1;
Composition
2 women
- Judicial Branch:
- Highest court(s): High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors); note - appeals beyond the High Court of Greenland can be heard by the Sup
- reme Court (in Copenhagen) Judge selection and term of office: Judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges ap
- pointed for life with retirement at age 70 Subordinate courts: Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts
- Regions or States:
5 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq Note: Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni Nuna Eqqissisimatitaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D [Jens Frederik NIELSEN]
- Fellowship Party (Atassut) or A [Aqqalu JERIMIASSEN]
- Forward Party (Siumut) or S [Erik JENSEN]
- Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Mute Bourup EGEDE]
- Signpost Party (Naleraq) or N [Pele BROBERG] (formerly Partii Naleraq)
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
See Denmark
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Nuuk (Godthaab)
- Capital - geographic coordinate
64 11 N, 51 45 W
- Capital Time Difference
UTC-2 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) Time zone note: Greenland has four time zones
- Daylight Savings Time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
International role
- International Organization Participation:
Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
Chief of mission
Consul Monica BLAND (since July 2023) Embassy: Aalisartut Aqqutaa 47 Nuuk 3900 Greenland
Telephone
Email address and website
- USConsulateNuuk@state.gov
- https://dk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/nuuk/
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
Chief of Mission
Kenneth HOEGH, Head of Representation; note - Greenland also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York
Chancery
3200 Whitehaven Street, NW Washington, DC 20008
Telephone
[1] (202) 234-4300
FAX
Email address and website
- Dependency Status
Part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979