Greenland plans to ban foreign political donations over fears about potential interference in its forthcoming elections after attracting Donald trump’s interest.
The government of the autonomous territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the kingdom of Denmark, unveiled a bill on Monday intended to “safeguard the political integrity of Greenland”.
It is scheduled be considered on Tuesday and if it becomes law, which it is likely to do because the government holds a majority in the parliament, it could come into force straight away.
Despite Greenland and Denmark saying the Arctic island is not for sale, Trump has repeatedly said he plans to acquire it and has threatened to use tariffs and military force to get his way.
After weeks in the global spotlight as a result of the repeated threats, Greenland is scheduled to hold an election before 6 April.
The bill presented on Monday “must be considered in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation … where representatives of an allied superpower have expressed their interest in taking over and controlling Greenland”, it said.
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It also said that “parties, including local and youth sections, are not allowed to receive contributions from foreign or anonymous donors”, described as those “who reside or are domiciled outside Greenland”.
Parties will also be banned from receiving private contributions in excess of 200,000 Danish krone (£22,000) in total or more than 20,000 from a single source.
Greenland has repeatedly said it is not for sale, but it has stated that it is “open for business”. Among many in the independence movement, US interest is seen as either potential leverage for improving its arrangement with Denmark or a potential way of securing independence. Denmark currently controls Greenland’s defence and foreign policy.
Aaja Chemnitz, a member of Denmark’s parliament representing Greenland, recently told Agence France-Presse: “There will be different people, different groups that will try to affect the whole election in Greenland, not only in Greenland, but all over the world.”
Copenhagen has insisted that Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, but last week the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, went on a mini-tour of Europe in an effort to shore up support after a reportedly “horrendous” 45-minute call with Trump.
