Kuupik Kleist
Politician, Former Premier of Greenland · 1958
Who is Kuupik Kleist?
Kuupik Kleist is a Greenlandic politician born on 31 March 1958 in Qullissat, on Disko Island. A member of the left-leaning Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which advocates greater autonomy and eventual full independence for Greenland, he served as Minister of Public Works and Transport from 1991 to 1995, held a seat in the Greenlandic Parliament in 1995-1996, and directed the Foreign Office of the Greenland Home Rule Government in 1996. He was a member of the Danish Parliament (Folketing) from 2001 to 2007 before becoming leader of Inuit Ataqatigiit in June 2007. Following a decisive victory in the 2009 election, in which he far outpolled incumbent Premier Hans Enoksen, Kleist was sworn in as Premier of Greenland on 12 June 2009, becoming the first person to hold the office who was not affiliated with the Siumut party. His government took office just as the new Self-Government Act (selvstyre) entered into force, expanding Greenlandic autonomy from Denmark, and his platform emphasized social issues including alcoholism, domestic violence, and suicide prevention. He left office on 5 April 2013 and has since served as the first chairman of the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Kuupik Kleist" · Britannica, "Kuupik Kleist, prime minister of Greenland" · High North News, "Kuupik Kleist: We Should Take the Danish Realm More Seriously" (2019)