Siumut (SIU, ; ; ) is a social democratic political party in Greenland.Greenland: Government and society, Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Historically the most dominant party in Greenland, it led governments from the establishment of home rule in 1979 until 2009, and again from 2013 to 2021. Siumut is led by Aleqa Hammond, who succeeded the previous leader Erik Jensen in 2025. Party members have been elected to both the Inatsisartut (or Landstinget, the Parliament of Greenland) and the Folketinget (the Parliament of the Kingdom 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 (Inatsisartut), and party chairman Jonathan Motzfeldt became the first Prime Minister of Greenland.
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.
Between 1997 and 2002, Motzfeldt was again Prime Minister, until he was succeeded by Hans Enoksen. 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, but the further left and more nationalist Inuit Ataqatigiit won 14 seats and 44% of the popular vote, a landslide victory. Enoksen resigned as party leader and Prime Minister.
Under new party leader Aleqa Hammond, the 2013 election saw Siumut win 42.8% of the popular vote and 14 out of 31 seats, and form a coalition with support of the unionist Atassut and the eco-socialist Inuit Party. The coalition collapsed in 2014, triggering a new election that year. Siumut remained the largest party in the Inatsisartut, but won three fewer seats. New party leader Kim Kielsen replaced Hammond as Prime Minister, forming a coalition with Atassut and the Democrats. Siumut further declined to nine seats in the 2018 Greenlandic general election, though Kielsen was able to lead another coalition. The party gained one seat at the 2021 election, but Inuit Ataqatigiit surpassed Siumut to become the largest party in the Inatsisartut and Kielsen was replaced as Prime Minister by IA's Múte Bourup Egede.
On 10 February 2025, Folketing member Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam departed Siumut and joined Naleraq, claiming that Siumut was insufficiently committed to Greenlandic independence. Her departure meant Siumut was unrepresented in the Folketing for the first time since 1998. The next month, Siumut suffered an historic defeat at the 2025 general election, 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 Inatsisartut. Siumut did ultimately join the Democrats-led governing coalition, which included four of the five parties in the Inatsisartut.
Positions The party was an observer affiliate of the Socialist International.
Siumut representatives sitting in the Folketinget (the Danish parliament) have been attached to the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats.
Election results Inatsisartut Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Status 1979 8,505 46.1 New 1st 1983 10,371 42.3 1 2nd 1984 9,949 44.1 1 1st 1987 9,987 39.8 2nd 1991 9,336 37.3 1st 1995 9,803 38.4 1 1st 1999 9,899 35.2 1 1st 2002 8,151 28.5 1 1st 2005 8,861 30.7 1st 2009 7,567 26.5 1 2nd 2013 12,910 42.8 5 1st 2014 10,108 34.3 3 1st 2018 7,959 27.2 2 1st 2021 7,986 30.1 1 2nd 2025 4,210 14.9 6 4th
Folketing Election Greenland Votes % Seats +/– Position 1979 6,273 44.1 New 2nd 1981 7,176 37.7 2nd 1984 9,148 42.6 2nd 1987 6,944 43.3 1st 1988 8,415 40.1 1st 1990 8,272 42.8 1st 1994did not contest 1998 8,502 36.5 1 1st 2001 8,272 25.9 2nd 2005 7,761 34.3 1st 2007 8,068 32.5 1st 2011 8,499 37.1 2nd 2015 7,831 38.2 2nd 2019 6,058 29.4 2nd 2022 7,424 38.6 1st 2026 3,515 16.76 1 4th
Party leaders #LeaderTerm of officePrime Minister1Jonathan Motzfeldt29 July 197719781979–199121978 -(1)Jonathan Motzfeldt197819791979–19913Lars-Emil Johansen19791980 -(1)Jonathan Motzfeldt198012 August 19871979–1991(3)Lars-Emil Johansen12 August 1987September 19971991–19974September 199726 May 1998 -(1)Jonathan Motzfeldt26 May 199817 September 20011997–20025Hans Enoksen17 September 20018 June 20092002–20096Aleqa Hammond8 June 200918 October 20142013–20147Kim Kielsen18 October 201429 November 20202014–20218Erik Jensen29 November 202012 March 2025 --Vivian Motzfeldt (interim)12 March 202529 June 2025 -(6)Aleqa Hammond29 June 2025Incumbent
Notes
External links Official website Greenlandic Parliament official website The North Atlantic Group in the Danish Parliament
References