NUUK, March 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A candidate from a party pushing to fast-track Greenland's independence will soon represent the island in the Danish parliament.

The mineral-rich territory coveted by President Donald Trump is represented by two seats in Denmark's 179-seat legislature.

Greenland's voters cast their ballots on Tuesday for both a political party and a candidate, with the combined tally determining who will represent them.

Qarsoq Hoegh-Dam topped the individual preference vote with 21.6 percent of the ballots, while his Naleraq party finished second, official results showed, alloting him one of the two seats.

Naleraq wants to cut ties with Denmark as soon as possible.

The territory's second seat was won by Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenland minister from the social-democratic party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA).

Greenland's main political parties all want independence, but disagree on how quickly to achieve it.

A Danish colony until 1953, the island of around 57,000 inhabitants obtained self-rule in 2009.

Nuuk and Copenhagen have both repeatedly said that the territory will determine its own fate and is not for sale, as the US president threatened to buy or forcibly seize it.

Greenland's prime minister told AFP on Tuesday that Denmark's general election was the most important in the history of the Danish autonomous territory.

In Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's unwavering stance against Trump was popular.

Frederiksen's Social Democrats finished first in Tuesday's general election but posted their weakest showing in more than 120 years and the left-wing bloc they belong to failed to secure a majority.

The international row over Greenland was not central to the general election campaign however, which focused instead on domestic issues like inflation and immigration.