Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Polling stations closed in Greenland on Tuesday in a parliamentary election brought into the international spotlight by U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to take control of the mineral-rich island, firing up a debate over its independence.
Voting had been extended by half an hour past a 2200 GMT deadline amid high turnout at several of the 72 polling stations across the Arctic 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 has said.
Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to make Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark – part of the United States, saying it is vital to U.S. 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 resources more accessible and opening new shipping routes. Both Russia and China have intensified military activity in the region.
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