Kuupik Kleist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kuupik Vandersee Kleist
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Kleist in 2008
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| 4th Prime Minister of Greenland | |
| In office 12 June 2009 – 5 April 2013 |
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| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Preceded by | Hans Enoksen |
| Succeeded by | Aleqa Hammond |
| Chairman of the OCT for Greenland |
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| In office 23 January 2012 – 25 September 2012 |
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| Deputy | Jens B. Frederiksen |
| Leader of the Inuit Ataqatigiit | |
| In office 10 June 2007 – 31 March 2014 |
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| Deputy | Aqqaluaq B. Egede |
| Preceded by | Josef Motzfeldt |
| Succeeded by | Sara Olsvig |
| Member of the Greenlandic Parliament | |
| Assumed office 8 February 2002 |
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| Member of the Danish Parliament | |
| In office 20 November 2001 – 13 November 2007 |
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| Member of the Greenlandic Parliament | |
| In office 1995–1996 |
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| Minister of Public Works and Transport | |
| In office 1991–1995 |
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| Prime Minister | Lars Emil Johansen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist
31 March 1958 Qullissat, County of Greenland, Denmark |
| Citizenship | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Nationality | Greenlandic |
| Political party | Inuit Ataqatigiit |
| Spouse |
Aviaaja Vandersee
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Makka Kleist (cousin) |
| Alma mater | University of Roskilde |
| Website | ia.gl/kuupik-kleist |
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist (born 31 March 1958) is a politician from Greenland. He served as the fourth prime minister of Greenland from 2009 to 2013. A prime minister is the head of the government.
Kleist is a member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party. He was the first prime minister who was not from the Siumut party. Since 2018, he has also led the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kuupik Kleist was born on March 31, 1958. His father was Danish and worked with telegraphs. His mother was Greenlandic. He was born in Qullissat, a town in Greenland. His aunt and uncle raised him.
He went to primary school in Qullissat from 1966 to 1972. The town was a mining town and was later abandoned. He then went to lower secondary school in Sisimiut until 1975.
When he was 17, Kleist moved to Denmark. He did not know Danish before he went. He attended the Birkerød State School from 1975 to 1978. In 1983, he earned a master's degree in social work from Roskilde University. From 1988 to 1991, he taught journalism in Nuuk, Greenland's capital.
Political Career in Greenland
In 1996, Kleist became the Director of the Foreign Office. This office was part of the Greenland Home Rule Government. This government managed many of Greenland's own affairs.
He also served as a member of the Parliament of Greenland. He was a member from 1995 to 1996. Later, he was a member again starting in 2002.
Serving in Danish Parliament
Kuupik Kleist was a Member of the Danish Parliament from 2001 to 2007. He represented the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party. This meant he spoke for Greenlanders in Denmark's main government.
His party, IA, was the first to lead Greenland under a new "self-rule" agreement. This agreement gave Greenland more power to govern itself. Kleist became known for wanting to make the government better.
Becoming Prime Minister
Since 2007, Kuupik Kleist has been the leader of the IA party. This party is a left-leaning group. They work for Greenland to become fully independent from Denmark one day.
In the 2009 election, the IA party won the most votes. Because of this, the Greenlandic parliament chose Kleist as the fifth Prime Minister of Greenland in June 2009.
Kleist himself received many votes in that election. He got 5,461 personal votes. The previous Prime Minister, Hans Enoksen, received 1,413 votes. This showed strong support for Kleist.
In August 2009, Prime Minister Kleist met with important military leaders. He met with Admiral Tim Sloth Jørgensen from Denmark. He also met with General Walter Natynczyk from Canada. They were visiting military bases in the Arctic region.
In Spanish: Kuupik Kleist para niños
See also
- Greenlandic independence
