Greenland: Left-wing opposition party wins poll

A left-wing opposition party won Greenland's parliamentary election and was poised to oust the Social Democratic Government after 30 years in power, official results showed yesterday.

The next Government will be the first to lead the semi-autonomous Danish territory under an expanded home rule agreement that takes effect later this month.

With all districts counted, the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party, or IA, won nearly 44 per cent of the vote, doubling its support from the last election four years ago, the election commission said.

The governing Siumut party, in power since 1979, got just over 26 per cent, apparently punished by voters in Tuesday's election for a series of corruption scandals.