THE right-wing Democrats have scored an unexpected victory in Greenland’s parliamentary elections, winning the largest share of the votes cast.

Both the Democrats and Point of Orientation,  which came second, favour Greenland’s independence from Denmark, but the two parties differ on the pace of change.

The Democrats won 30 per cent of the vote on Tuesday, compared to just 9 per cent in the previous election four years ago, the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation reported.