The Greenlandic party seeking the fastest breakup with Denmark stands to gain a major boost, according to early counting of the votes in the parliamentary elections that have been overshadowed by Donald Trump’s plans to take over the Arctic Island.

The populist Naleraq party got about 36% in backing, after some 1,000 of the votes had been counted in Tuesday’s election, compared with 12% four years ago. The ballots counted equal roughly 2.5% of the eligible votes, and the final results may still change widely as votes from the larger towns, including capital Nuuk, come in later.

The new 31-member parliament will be crucial in defining Greenland’s path to become its own nation and which countries it may align itself with once that happens. The election took place just a week after the U.S. president in a speech to Congress reaffirmed his interest in the world’s largest island, voicing confidence he will be able to take control over it.

Prime Minister Mute B. Egede’s leftist Inuit Ataqatigiit party and government coalition partner Siumut got about 35% of the vote between them, according to the early numbers, compared with about 66% four years earlier.

While both parties have distanced themselves from Trump’s advances, they have still campaigned on increasing independence from Denmark. Egede earlier this year urged Greenland to remove “the shackles of the colonial era.” Siumut, a social democratic party, has indicated it wants to start independence talks with Denmark in the coming election term.

Many voting stations registered a higher turnout than in previous elections, local media reported. Outside the voting venue in Nuuk, political parties held small rallies, handing out cake and merchandise to people passing by in the sunshine.

Niels Kronholm, a 48-year-old public sector worker living in the capital, said he had planned to vote in the evening to avoid queues, but still was met with huge masses of people when he arrived about an hour before the polling station was about to close.

“I think voter turnout will be high this election,” he said after voting. “There have been outside voices that make people want to cast their vote. It should be a given to vote, but I think Trump has actually gotten people off the couch this time.”

Trump’s remarks have boosted independence talks on Greenland, forcing candidates, who all favor an eventual split from Denmark, to lay out a vision for what sovereignty might look like and when it could happen. Many local experts say independence could strengthen Trump’s hand, because it would make Greenland easier to influence.

It comes as Greenland’s geopolitical importance is rising. Located in the far north between the U.S. and Europe, the island is home to an American military base that monitors space and detects missile threats, and it holds large reserves of the critical minerals used in electronic devices, which are becoming more accessible as its vast polar ice sheets melt. It is also expected to be a key part of global shipping routes in the coming decades.

It’s expected that the party emerging with the largest backing will start coalition negotiations to form a governing majority in the coming days. Egede has said during his campaign that he would seek a broad coalition.

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