NUUK: Greenland voted on Tuesday in legislative elections which could yield a timeline for independence for the Danish self-governing territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.

Trump, determined to get his hands on the vast Arctic island `one way or the other`, tried until the last minute to influence the vote, sparking astonishment, rejection, and, to a small degree, enthusiasm among the 57,000 Greenlanders, most of whom favour independence.

After waiting in a long line with other voters, Greenland`s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede who celebrated his 38th birthday on Tuesday cast his ballot shortly after polls opened at 9am. `Our country is in the eye of the storm,` he said in a video posted to Facebookjusthoursbefore the vote.

`The international community is watching us closely, and we have recently seen how much they are trying to influence our country,` said Egede, leader of the leftgreen party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA).

Polling stations close at 8pm and first results are expected several hours later.-AFP