Siumut

Template:Short description Template:Infobox political party Siumut (SIU, Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; Template:Langx; Template:Literal translation) is a political party in Greenland in the social democratic tradition.<ref name="Bergqvist1999">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Thomas2010">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Greenland: Government and society, Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> 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 Kim Kielsen in a tight leadership contest in late 2020.<ref name="Jensen1">Template:Cite news</ref> Party members have been elected to both the parliament of Greenland and the parliament of Denmark.

History

Siumut was formed in 1971 as a political movement, and became a party in 1977. Following the establishment of home rule in Greenland in January 1979, the party won 13 of 21 seats in the 1979 Greenlandic general election for the newly formed Parliament of Greenland, and party chairman Jonathan Motzfeldt became the first Prime Minister of Greenland.<ref name="Cook2001"/><ref name="Thomas2010"/>

Following the 1991 Greenlandic general election, Motzfeldt stepped down and was replaced by Lars Emil Johansen, also of Siumut, who governed in coalition with Inuit Ataqatigiit.<ref name="Cook2001"/>

Between 1997 and 2002, Motzfeldt was again Prime Minister, until he was succeeded by Hans Enoksen.<ref name="Thomas2010"/> 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 nine 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; however, it lost three members of the parliament and has now 11 members. Siumut further declined to nine seats in the 2018 Greenlandic general election. The party gained one seat at the 2021 election, but suffered an historic defeat in 2025, winning just four seats and falling to fourth place in the Inatsisartut — the party had never had fewer than nine seats and had never been smaller than the second-largest party in the country.

Positions

The party was an observer affiliate of the Socialist International.<ref>Member Parties of the Socialist International</ref>

Siumut representatives sitting in the Danish parliament have been attached to the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats.<ref name="Thomas2010"/>

Election results

Inatsisartut

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Status
1979	8,505	46.1	Template:Composition bar	New	Template:Increase 1st	Template:Yes2
1983	10,371	42.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Decrease 2nd	Template:Yes2
1984	9,949	44.1	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Increase 1st	Template:Yes2
1987	9,987	39.8	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Decrease 2nd	Template:Yes2
						Template:Yes2
1991	9,336	37.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Increase 1st	Template:Yes2
1995	9,803	38.4	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
1999	9,899	35.2	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
2002	8,151	28.5	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
2005	8,861	30.7	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
2009	7,567	26.5	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Decrease 2nd	Template:No2
2013	12,910	42.8	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 5	Template:Increase 1st	Template:Yes2
						Template:Yes2
2014	10,108	34.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 3	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
2018	7,959	27.2	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 2	Template:Steady 1st	Template:Yes2
2021	7,986	30.1	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	Template:Decrease 2nd	Template:No2
						Template:Yes2
2025	4,210	14.9	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 6	Template:Decrease 4th	Template:Yes2

Folketing

Election	Greenland
	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position
1979	6,273	44.1	Template:Composition bar	New	Template:Increase 2nd
1981	7,176	37.7	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 2nd
1984	9,148	42.6	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 2nd
1987	6,944	43.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Increase 1st
1988	8,415	40.1	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 1st
1990	8,272	42.8	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 1st
1994	did not contestTemplate:Efn
1998	8,502	36.5	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	Template:Increase 1st
2001	8,272	25.9	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Decrease 2nd
2005	7,761	34.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Increase 1st
2007	8,068	32.5	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 1st
2011	8,499	37.1	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Decrease 2nd
2015	7,831	38.2	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 2nd
2019	6,058	29.4	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Steady 2nd
2022	7,424	38.6	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady	Template:Increase 1st

External links

• Official website
• Greenlandic Parliament official website
• The North Atlantic Group in the Danish Parliament