Voting was extended at some polling stations amid high turnout in an election dominated by Trump’s promise to control the strategic Arctic island.
Unofficial results in Greenland’s election are expected to emerge shortly after polling closed in a vote that will determine which leaders confront United States President Donald Trump’s pledge to take control of the strategically placed Arctic country.
Voting was extended by half an hour past a 22:00 GMT deadline on Tuesday amid high voter turnout at several of the 72 polling stations across the mineral-rich island, where 40,500 people were eligible to cast their ballot.
There were no exit polls, and a final tally of the vote could take between three and five hours to complete, Greenland’s election authority said.
Official results will not be certified for weeks as ballot papers make their way to the capital, Nuuk, from remote settlements by boat, plane and helicopter.
Images and video clips shared on social media showed people queueing in the ice and snow outside polling stations in Nuuk up to 45 minutes before voting closed. Earlier in the day, long queues were also reported at voting centres.
Since taking office in January, Trump has promised to make Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark – part of the US, saying it is vital to US security interests.
The vast island, with a population of just 57,000, has been caught up in a geopolitical race for dominance in the Arctic, where melting ice caps are making its rich resources of rare earth metals more accessible and opening new shipping routes.
Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Bourup Egede, called the election last month, saying the country needed to be united during a “serious time” that is unlike anything Greenland has ever experienced.
While Trump has been outspoken about his desire to control Greenland, both Russia and China have also intensified military activity in the Arctic region.
Greenland is a former Danish colony and a territory since 1953. It gained some autonomy in 1979 when its first parliament was formed, but Copenhagen still controls foreign affairs, defence and monetary policy and provides just under $1bn a year to the economy.
In 2009, Greenland won the right to declare full independence through a referendum, even though it has not done so out of concern that living standards would drop without Denmark’s economic support.
Julie Rademacher, a consultant and former adviser to Greenland’s government, said that early on, the election campaign focused on the anger and frustration aimed at historical wrongdoings by former colonial ruler Denmark.
“But I think the fear of the US imperialist approach has lately become bigger than the anger towards Denmark,” Rademacher said.
The Reuters news agency spoke to more than a dozen Greenlanders in Nuuk, all of whom said they favoured independence, although many expressed concern that a swift transition could damage the economy and eliminate Nordic welfare services like universal healthcare and free schooling.
“We don’t want to be part of the US for obvious reasons; healthcare and Trump,” said Tuuta Lynge-Larsen, a bank employee and Nuuk resident, adding that this election was especially important.
A poll in January suggested that the majority of Greenland’s inhabitants support independence but are divided on timing.