Greenland’s first premier struck by serious illness

Greenland’s former premier and current parliamentary chairman, Jonathan Motzfeldt, is recovering in an Icelandic hospital after being taken to a Reykjavik hospital last week with pneumonia and kidney failure.

By the end of last week, Motzfeldt, 67, had been taken off a respirator, anesthetist Hildur Thomasdottir of the Landspitali University Hospital told KNR radio. But KNR said Motzfeldt was still on dialysis.

Motzfeldt was transferred last Thursday from Nuuk’s Queen Ingrid hospital to Reykjavik, which has better medical facilities.

Motzfeldt, a member of the Siumut party, became Greenland’s first premier in 1979. He left politics for six years in the 1990s because of his problems with alcohol. Motzfeldt returned in 1997 when he won a seat in parliament and was elected premier again.

Motzfeldt was premier until 2002, when he lost to fellow Siumut member Hans Enoksen, Greenland’s current prime minister.

Motzfeldt was then named chairman of the 27-seat parliament.