social democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
tradition. Since the establishment of home rule in 1979, it has been the dominant party in Greenland. Siumut is led by Erik Jensen, who beat the then-incumbent
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Kim Kielsen
Kim Kielsen (born 30 November 1966) is a Greenlandic politician, who served as leader of the Siumut party and sixth prime minister of Greenland between 2014 and 2021.
Careers Past careers
Kielsen was originally a mariner, and then a police offi ...
in a tight leadership contest in late 2020.
Party members have been elected to both the
parliament of Greenland
The Inatsisartut ( kl, Inatsisartut; '' da, Landstinget, lit=''the land's- thing'' of Greenland''), also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament (legislative branch) of Greenland, an autonomous territory*
...
and the
parliament of Denmark
The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature ( parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark— Denmark proper together with the Faroe Island ...
.
Siumut was formed in 1971 as a political movement, and became a party in 1977. Following the establishment of home rule for Greenland in January 1979, the party won 13 of 21 seats in the
1979 Greenlandic general election
General elections were held in Greenland on 4 April 1979, the first election to the new Parliament after the introduction of home rule. The result was a victory for the separatist and left wing Siumut, which won 13 of the 21 seats in the Parliame ...
for the newly formed
Parliament of Greenland
The Inatsisartut ( kl, Inatsisartut; '' da, Landstinget, lit=''the land's- thing'' of Greenland''), also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament (legislative branch) of Greenland, an autonomous territory*
...
, and party chairman
Jonathan Motzfeldt
Jonathan Jakob Jørgen Otto Motzfeldt (25 September 1938 – 28 October 2010) was a Greenlandic priest and politician. He is considered one of the leading figures in the establishment of Greenland Home Rule. Jonathan Motzfeldt was the first ...
became the first
Prime Minister of Greenland
The prime minister of Greenland ( kl, Naalakkersuisut siulittaasuat, ; da, Landsstyreformand), officially the premier of Greenland,
Lars Emil Johansen
Lars-Emil Johansen (born 24 September 1946) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the second prime minister of Greenland from 1991 to 1997, and Speaker of the Inatsisartut from 2013 to 2018.
Johansen was chairman of the political party ''Si ...
, also of Siumut, who governed in coalition with
Inuit Ataqatigiit
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, , da, Folkets Samfund) is a democratic socialist, separatist political party in Greenland that aims to make Greenland an independent state. The party, founded as a political organisation in 1976, was born out of the increas ...
.
From 1997, and until 2002, Motzfeldt was again Prime Minister, until he was succeeded by
Hans Enoksen
Hans Enoksen (born 7 August 1956) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the third prime minister of Greenland from 2002 to 2009.
A Greenlandic monoglot, he has been a member of the Parliament of Greenland since 1995. He became Minister for ...
. From 1979 until 2009 and since 2013, members of Siumut have served as Greenland's Prime Minister. In the 15 November 2005 general election, the party won 30.7% of the popular vote and 10 out of 31 seats in the parliament. In the 2009 general election, it won 26.5% of the popular vote and 9 seats and in the 2013 election, it won 42.8% of the popular vote and 14 out of 31 seats. At the 2014 election the party was still the largest party, but it lost three members of the parliament and has now 11 members. Siumut further declined to 9 seats in the
2018 Greenlandic general election
General elections were held in Greenland on 24 April 2018, electing all 31 members of Parliament of Greenland, Parliament. The elections were required to be held no later than 26 November 2018, four years after the 2014 Greenlandic general electio ...
.
Positions
The party was an observer affiliate of the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations ...
Danish parliament
The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands an ...
have been attached to the parliamentary group of the
Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
.
Election results
Parliament of Greenland (''
Inatsisartut
The Inatsisartut ( kl, Inatsisartut; '' da, Landstinget, lit=''the land's- thing'' of Greenland''), also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament (legislative branch) of Greenland, an autonomous territory* ...
'')
Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark (''
Folketinget
The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands an ...