Greenland lawmakers weigh foreign donation ban to parties amid Trump’s ambitions

President-elect Donald Trump’s comments about seizing Greenland have policy makers debating whether foreign donations should be banned. (Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix/The Associated Press)

Greenland’s legislature debated Tuesday whether to prohibit political parties from receiving contributions “from foreign or anonymous contributors” after President Donald Trump laid out ambitions for the United States to take over the vast island that belongs to Denmark.

Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament, discussed the proposal that would also ban any single party from receiving domestic private contributions that exceed 200,000 Danish kroner (about $27,700) in total, or 20,000 kroner (about $2,770) for a single contributor.

The government of Greenland asked the parliament’s five-member presidency to consider a bill aimed to “protect Greenland’s political integrity” that would take effect immediately.

The bill “must be seen in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation where representatives of an allied great power have expressed interest in taking over and controlling Greenland,” according to a translation of a parliamentary document in Danish outlining the measure.

Parliamentary elections to be held by April

The move comes ahead of parliamentary elections that must be held no later than April in Greenland.

Kent Fridberg, a senior legal officer at parliament, said he did not know whether any such foreign donors had already contributed to Greenland’s political parties and the idea for the bill was “basically a preventative measure.”

Speaking by phone to The Associated Press, Fridberg noted Trump’s expressed interest in Greenland – and said some Russian politicians had voiced a similar interest – and that parties on the island are generally funded by public means.

Before taking office for his second term on Jan. 20, Trump said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.

The U.S. president reiterated his ambitions on the issue in comments to reporters last week. His oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited the mineral-rich territory that’s home to a large U.S. military base early last month and told citizens: “We’re going to treat you well.”

Related stories from around the North: 

Canada: Survey shows Canadians fear losing Arctic territory without stronger action, CBC News

Denmark: ICC warns against sidelining Inuit as global powers eye Greenland, Eye on the Arctic

Finland: US in Greenland could improve Arctic security, Finnish defence minister suggests, Yle News

Greenland: Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose becoming part of the United States, poll shows, Reuters

Norway: Norway’s Finnmark brigade to boost Arctic border defense, reevaluate training limits, The Independent Barents Observer

Russia: New radars sharpen Russian air defense over northern Finland, Norway, The Independent Barents Observer

SwedenSwedish PM on Trump comments: Only Denmark and Greenland decide, Radio Sweden

United States: Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal, Eye on the Arctic

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