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| - Greenland's parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of holding new elections in the spring, after weeks of political turmoil triggered by a controversial mining project. The world's largest island, a Danish autonomous territory, will hold a snap election sometime in the spring, after the parliament, the Inatsisartut, adopted a motion put forward by the opposition. "Now all we need is to find a date for the election," Greenland's head of government Kim Kielsen told parliament. Originally proposed to be held on April 6, the final date was still being debated as some opposed the fact that it would fall on the same day as municipal elections. The election will mark the end of the government of Kim Kielsen, of the social democratic party Siumut, who has served as prime minister since December 2014. Sparking the crisis was the start of public hearings in early February over a proposed rare earth minerals and uranium mine in Kvanefjeld, or Kuannersuit in Greenlandic, on the island's southern edge. The project could yield a massive windfall that would supplement Greenland's main industry, fishing, providing a way for Greenland to become fully independent from Denmark. Denmark, which maintains control over currency, foreign relations and defence policy, supports Greenland's quest for full independence, but the Artic territory still relies on Danish subsidies of some 526 million euros every year, accounting for a third of Greenland's national budget. But opponents warn the mine could also harm the environment in a region already on the frontlines of global warming. A few days after hearings began, the right-wing Demokraatit party quit the government coalition, frustrated over Siumut's inability to firmly come down on one side of the issue, thereby stripping the government of its majority in parliament. Siumut was initially in favour of the mining project, but has adopted a more reserved line since November when new party leader Erik Jensen was elected, even though Kielsen remained head of the government. Siumut, which has dominated Greenland's political life since 1979, won legislative elections in April 2018 but only narrowly beat the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit, which is opposed to the mining project and now leads public opinion polls. The snap election could potentially bury or further delay the Kvanefjeld project. cbw/jll/po/lc
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