Danish name Demokraterne Organizational Vice Nivi Olsen | Political Vice Justus Hansen | |
Leader Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen Founded November 28, 2002 (2002-11-28) Headquarters Inatsisartut, 3900 Nuuk | ||
The Democrats (Greenlandic: Demokraatit) (Danish: Demokraterne) are a centre-right populist and pro-Danish political party in Greenland.
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The party is skeptical of Greenlandic independence and even further self-governance. It has taken over this position from the Solidarity (Atássut) party that has developed towards favouring more autonomy. Major points of its programme are to improve the education of the Inuit and the housing situation.
History
Established in 2002, the party won five seats in the elections that year. It increased its seat total to seven in the 2005 elections, but was excluded from power by a so-called "Northern Lights Coalition" of Siumut, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Atássut. Its number of seats decreased to four seats in the 2009 elections; however, it entered a government coalition with Inuit Ataqatigiit and the Association of Candidates, removing the formerly dominant Siumut from power for the first time in its history. In the 2013 elections the party won only two seats, but at the 2014 elections the party gained two more seats and has now four seats in the parliament.
Relationships to other parties
The Democrats has traditionally kept itself in the centre of the political scale. Since the early nineties, though, it has cooperated with the Inuit Community Party, the Forward Social Democrats and the Solidarity Liberal Party.