Shake-up in Greenland’s Home Rule Government

Embattled Greenland Premier Jonathan Motzfeldt is still the leader of Greenland’s home rule government, but he’s resigned as head of the Siumut party.

Last month Hans Enoksen, a critic of Motzfeldt, was elected to replace Motzfeldt as party leader.

Following a cabinet shuffle last week, Enoksen is also Greenland’s new fishery minister.

Motzfeldt has been widely blamed for a three billion-krøne ($581 million) deficit in Greenland’s main export fish and seafood company, Royal Greenland.

Fisheries account for nearly all of Greenland’s exports, worth about one billion-krøne ($193 million).

The deficit, which is blamed on poor management, may lead to the closure of four of Royal Greenland’s nine fish plants.

Motzfeldt was Greenland’s first premier from 1979 until 1991, when he was ousted by Lars-Emil Johansen. When Johansen quit politics in 1997, Motzfeldt became premier again.