Jens-Frederik Nielsen
{{Short description|Prime Minister of Greenland since 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jens-Frederik Nielsen
| office = 8th Prime Minister of Greenland
| monarch = Frederik X
| term_start = 7 April 2025
| predecessor = Múte Bourup Egede
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|06|22|df=y}}
| party = Demokraatit
| alma_mater = University of Greenland
| birth_place = Greenland
| office1 = Chair of the Demokraatit Party
| termstart1 = 2020
| predecessor1 = Niels Thomsen
| office2 = Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources
| termstart2 = 29 May 2020
| termend2 = 8 February 2021
| primeminister2 = Kim Kielsen
| predecessor2 = Jess Svane
| successor2 = Naaja Nathanielsen
| image = Nordic Prime Ministers' Summer Meeting at in Finland on 26 May 2025 - 87 (cropped).jpg
|caption = Nielsen in 2025.
}}
{{MedalTableTop|name=
| medals =
{{MedalSport | Badminton }}
{{MedalCountry | {{GRL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Island Games}}
{{MedalSilver|2009 Åland|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2015 Jersey|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalSilver|2017 Gotland|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalBronze|2019 Gibraltar|Men's singles}}
{{MedalGold|2019 Gibraltar|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Guernsey|Men's singles}}
{{MedalSilver|2023 Guernsey|Team}}
}}
Jens-Frederik Nielsen (born 22 June 1991) is a Greenlandic politician and former badminton player who has served as the Prime Minister of Greenland since 2025. He is the leader of the Demokraatit party, and he formerly served as the Minister of Labour and Mineral Resources during the Kielsen VII Cabinet of 2020 to 2021. Nielsen is the first member of the Demokraatit party to hold the office of prime minister.{{Cite news | author=Jens Thorin | url=https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/inatsisartut-konstituerer-sig-paa-mandag | title=Inatsisartut konstituerer sig på mandag | lang=da | publisher=Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa | date=31 March 2025}}
Early life and education
Nielsen was born and raised in Greenland.{{Cite news |last=Gronholt-Pedersen |first=Jacob |date=March 28, 2025 |title=Who is Greenland's new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen? |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/greenlands-new-prime-minister-takes-office-facing-challenge-trump-2025-03-28/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |work=Reuters}} His hometown is Nuuk. He earned a degree in social science from the University of Greenland.
Nielsen has been a member of the Greenland national badminton team since 2009. At the 2023 Island Games, Nielsen won gold in men's singles badminton.{{Cite web |last=Tobiassen |first=Nukaaka |date=July 18, 2023 |title=Island Games: Overrasket Jens-Frederik Nielsen vandt guld |url=https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/overrasket-jens-frederik-nielsen-vandt-guld |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=KNR |language=da}}
Political career
In 2020, Nielsen was elected to succeed Niels Thomsen as chair of the Demokraatit party.{{Cite web |last=Veirum |first=Thomas Munk |date=2024-03-16 |title=Demokraatit-formand fortsætter på posten |url=https://www.sermitsiaq.ag/samfund/demokraatit-formand-fortsaetter-pa-posten/2066995 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Sermitsiaq |language=da-DK}} He was reelected to the role in March 2024.
In May 2020, Nielsen was named the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources as part of the Kielsen VII Cabinet.{{cite web |title=Jens Frederik Nielsen |url=https://www.norden.org/en/person/jens-frederik-nielsen |access-date=12 March 2025 |website=Nordic Co-operation |publisher=The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers}}{{Cite news |date=2020-06-03 |title=New minister for the mineral resources area |url=https://govmin.gl/2020/06/new-minister-for-the-mineral-resources-area/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250108012613/https://govmin.gl/2020/06/new-minister-for-the-mineral-resources-area/ |archive-date=2025-01-08 |access-date=2025-03-29 |work=Mineral Resources Authority |language=en-US}}
During the 2025 Greenlandic general election, Nielsen received 4,850 personal votes. Nielsen received more votes than incumbent Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede, who received 3,276.{{cite news |title=Demokraatit-formand overgår regeringschef - TV 2 |url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/live/samfund/2025-01-06-valg-i-groenland/demokraatit-formand-overgaar-regeringschef?entry=635ec33e-509f-41d1-ac28-4d6a42aeaa90 |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=nyheder.tv2.dk |date=12 March 2025 |language=da-DK}}
=Political views=
In response to Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Nielsen urged Polar Seafood to halt its Russian operations, emphasizing the need to pressure Russia and restore peace in Europe.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-18 |title=Polar Seafood under politisk pres: - Stop al produktion i Rusland og forlad landet |url=https://www.sermitsiaq.ag/erhverv/polar-seafood-under-politisk-pres-stop-al-produktion-i-rusland-og-forlad-landet/162115 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Sermitsiaq |language=da-DK}}
In March 2025, Nielsen condemned U.S. president Donald Trump's threats to invade Greenland.{{cite news |last1=Lauritzen |first1=Pia |title=Greenland Has Spoken: What Trump Doesn't Get About Us |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pialauritzen/2025/03/11/greenland-has-spoken-what-trump-doesnt-get-about-us/ |date = 11 March 2025|access-date=12 March 2025 |work=Forbes |language=en}} Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland.{{cite news |title=Greenland’s Prime Minister Says the U.S. Will Not ‘Get’ the Island |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/us/politics/greenland-prime-minister-trump.html |access-date=31 March 2025 |work=NYT}} In April 2025, a plan by the United States for undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark through a campaign of foreign interference and disinformation on social media became known.{{cite news |title=USA har planen klar for å overta Grønland |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/verden/i/3MO7zv/new-york-times-usa-har-planen-klar-for-aa-overta-groenland |access-date=11 April 2025 |work=Aftenposten}}
Nielsen advocates for reducing reliance on Denmark's block grant by prioritizing business development and economic self-sufficiency in Greenland.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Prime ministers of Greenland}}
{{Currents heads of government}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Jens}}
Category:21st-century Greenlandic politicians
Category:Government ministers of Greenland
Category:Democrats (Greenland) politicians
Category:Greenlandic sportsmen
Category:Greenlandic sportsperson-politicians
Category:Members of the Inatsisartut
Category:University of Greenland alumni