Self-Government

Greenland is governed by Inatsisartut (the parliament), a popularly elected legislature, and Naalakkersuisut (the cabinet), a body responsible for the general administration in the country. As of 21 June 2009, the former home rule was replaced by self-government.

Read more at www.naalakkersuisut.gl.

Inatsisartut

An elected assembly, the Greenlandic parliament Inatsisartut was established when the Home Rule Government was introduced on 1 May 1979. Since 1995, Inatsisartut has had 31 popularly elected members.

The year of the parliament begins on the third Friday in September and lasts until the same Friday the following year. Inatsisartut meets at least twice in the parliamentary year for ordinary sessions. If exceptional circumstances so require, Inatsisartut may convene extraordinarily.

Read more about the composition of Inatsisartut and other related matters at www.inatsisartut.gl.

The Presidium and Committees of Inatsisartut

Inatsisartut has a presidency, also called the presidium, consisting of four members of Inatsisartut plus the chairman.

The chairman conducts the meetings during the parliamentary sessions which usually take place in the spring and in the autumn. The chairman of the presidium also occassions the minutes of the parliamentary sessions to be published in Greenlandic and in Danish.

The premier manages the Greenlandic membership of the Nordic Council and the connection to the Danish parliament. The secretariat of Inatsisartut is in charge of the daily administration.

Inatsisartut appoints the following statutory standing committees: a financial committee, a committee charged with accounting and a foreign and security policy committee. In addition to the statutory committees, Inatsisartut appoints about 12 standing committees.

Read more about the presidium and committees of Inatsisartut at www.inatsiartut.gl.

The Secretariat of Inatsisartut

The secretariat of Inatsisartut is charged with general management for Inatsisartut. The administration is placed under the chairman of Inatsisartut and its presidium.

The secretariat is led by a secretary general. As of 1 April 2009, new staff functions have been created; a secretariat for the chairman, and a media and information section. The secretariat also has a section for committee secretaries, an interpretation section, a service section, and a finance section.

Read more at http://www.inatsisartut.gl/servicehome.

Legislation

Proposed amendments, new laws, and regulations are normally introduced by Naalakkersuisut, but can also be proposed by a single member of parliament. All proposed laws and regulations undergo three readings in the parliament.

All laws, ordinances, and regulations since the introduction of the Home Rule Government in 1979 can be found at www.lovgivning.gl.

Elections

Inatsisartut is elected for a four year period but elections can also be called and held before the ordinary election period expires. The most recent election was held on 2 June 2009.

Read more at www.valg.gl.

The newly elected Inatsisartut appoints an ombudsman whose job it is to ensure that the administration of Naalakkersuisut and the municipalities is in accordance with the law and good governance.

Ombudsman for Inatsisartut

The ombudsman is elected by Inatsisartut and supervises on behalf of Inatsisartut that the administration of the government and the municipalities is in accordance with the law and good governance.

The ombudsman works independently of Inatsisartut and political interests. The ombudsman publishes an annual report to Inatsisartut about his activity. The report is printed and published.

Read more about the ombudsman at www.ombudsmand.gl.

Overview 1

Cases Considered by the Ombudsman of Inatsisartut

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Cases started	110	82	93	95	148	107	108	92	117	86	86
Cases taken up on the ombudsman's own initiative	23	30	11	14	39	10	24	5	21	21	8
Guidance	139	80	53	76	135	51	138	108	143	111	91
Complaints turned down 1)	71	62	53	53	93	92	99	63	69	48	61
Finished cases	49	52	21	39	39	35	16	35	26	19	22
Unfinished cases 2)	130	84	82	41	43	41	41	27	88	145	151

Notes: 1) The distribution of complaints turned down appears in Table 1. 2) Includes the ombudsman's unfinished cases.
Source: The ombudsman of Inatsisartut

Public Administration

The consideration of a case is subject to legislation under the procedural law and the law concerning openness in the administration.

The Case Consideration Act is a document of general statutory principles of administrative law. The act is to improve the case consideration in public administration and increase security that the decisions of the administration are legal and correct.

The Openness Act institutes provisions on the citizens' right of access to cases under consideration by the public administration.

Naalakkersuisut (The Cabinet)

Naalakkersuisut is the cabinet of Greenland, appointed by the premier. The premier is appointed by Inatsisartut. Naalakkersuisut is politically responsible for the daily operations of the Self-Government. Naalakkersuisut is divided into a number of cabinet areas.

Each cabinet member is head of a ministry in charge of the legislation and general matters. Under the ministries, a number of agencies administer specific areas. The administration of Naalakkersuisut takes place within the framework of laws and appropriations passed by Inatsisartut.

Inatsisartut supervises the work of Naalakkersuisut, including revising the accounts of the Exchequer. Moreover, it is the task of the ombudsman of Inatsisartut to ensure that the administration of Naalakkersuisut is in accordance with the law and good governance.

Oversigt 2

Coalitions

Political composition of the coalition	Premier
Siumut: 5	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1979
Siumut: 6	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1983
Siumut: 5, Inuit ataqatigiit: 2	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1984
Siumut: 5, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 2	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1987
Siumut: 5	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1988
Siumut: 5, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 2	Lars Emil Johansen	1991
Siumut: 5, Atassut: 2	Lars Emil Johansen	1995
Siumut: 5, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 2	Jonathan Motzfeldt	1999
Siumut: 5, Atassut: 2	Jonathan Motzfeldt	2001
Siumut: 4, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 3	Hans Enoksen	Dec 2002
Siumut: 4, Atassut: 3	Hans Enoksen	Jan 2003
Siumut: 4, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 4	Hans Enoksen	Sep 2003
Siumut: 4, Inuit Ataqatigiit: 2, Atassut 2	Hans Enoksen	Dec 2005
Siumut: 4, Atassut: 3	Hans Enoksen	May 2007
Inuit Ataqatigiit: 6, Demokraterne: 2, Kattusseqatigiit Partiiat: 1	Kuupik Kleist	Jun 2009

Source: Statistics Greenland

Read more about the cabinet of the current coalition and the division of responsibility at http://dk.nanoq.gl/Emner/Landsstyre.aspx.

Representations Abroad

The Representation of Greenland in Copenhagen

The Representation of Greenland in Copenhagen is under the premier. The representation is located in the former warehouses of the Royal Greenlandic Trading Company at the North Atlantic wharf in Strandstræde together with the Representation of the Faroe Islands and the embassy of Iceland.

The house represents the Greenlandic Government vis-à-vis Danish and foreign authorities and serves Naalakkersuisut, Inatsisartut, the central administration in Nuuk, the companies of the Government of Greenland as well as the municipalities. Generally speaking, the representation performs tasks which are most appropriate to address in or from Denmark.

Read more at http://dk.nanoq.gl/Emner/Landsstyre/Groenlands_Repraesentation_i_Koebenhavn.aspx.

The Representation of Greenland in Brussels

The Representation of Greenland is located at the Danish Embassy in Brussels. The functions of the representation include among other things the coordination of negotiations with the EU, including the Fishing Agreement, the Partnership Agreement between Greenland and the EU, cases concerning OCT co-operation, and a number of ad hoc cases. At the same time the office maintains contacts with the EU Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament just as it enters into the diplomatic dialogue with missions and embassies in Brussels.

Read more about the representation at http://eu.nanoq.gl.