Politics of the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Faroe Islands
Constitution Fundamental laws Act of Succession Freedom of Speech Freedom of the Press
The Crown Monarch Queen Margrethe II Crown Prince Frederik Royal Family Privy Council Purveyors to the Royal Court
Realm Denmark Faroe Islands Greenland
Executive High Commissioner (list) Dan M. Knudsen Government Johannesen Cabinet Prime Minister (list) Kaj Leo Johannesen Deputy Prime Minister Annika Olsen
Legislature Løgting (Parliament of the Faroe Islands) Speaker Jógvan á Lakjuni Members Folketing (Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark) Speaker Mogens Lykketoft Members
Judiciary Supreme Court Courts
Elections Political parties Recent elections Løgting: 2011 2008 2004 Folketing: 2011 2007 2005 Referendums Alcohol (1907) Independence Alcohol (1973) Act of Succession
Administrative divisions Regions Municipalities Cities Towns
Foreign policy Foreign relations Diplomatic missions of the Faroe Islands in the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands and the EU
Related topics Arctic Command Defence Command Politics of Denmark Politics of Greenland
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The politics of the Faroe Islands function within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands is the head of government,^[1] and of a multi-party system. The Faroe Islands are politically associated with the Kingdom of Denmark, but have been self-governing since 1948. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Løgting. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and the responsibility of Denmark. As of October 25, 2007, the Faroe Islands became one electoral district.

Executive branch

The high commissioner is appointed by the Queen of Denmark. The High Commissioner has a seat in the Løgting, he or she is allowed to speak in the Løgting regarding common Danish/Faroese affairs, but he or she is not allowed to vote.^[2] Following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually given the initiative to establish a new coalition by the Faroese Parliament, unless the current Løgmaður (Prime Minister in English) is still in power. However, if he fails, the Chairman of the parliament asks all chairmen of the parties elected to the parliament, and asks them to point to another chairman who they feel can rightly form a new coalition. The chairman with the most votes is then handed the initiative. After forming the coalition, the løgmaður leads the landsstýri. The landsstýri will often consist of around 7 members. The coalition parties divide the various ministries among themselves and after this, the parties elect their representative to these ministries. Any other member of the cabinet is called a landsstýrismaður if the person is a man, or landsstýriskvinna if the person is a woman. The word ráðharri is also used for a member of the cabinet, i.e. mentamálaráðharri (minister of culture) or heilsumálaráðharri (minister of health).

Current government

Kaj Leo Johannesen's second government consists of a coalition between Union Party (Sambandsflokkurin), People's Party (Fólkaflokkurin) and Centre Party (Miðflokkurin). Until 5 September 2013 the coalition also included the Self-Government Party (Sjálvstýrisflokkurin), but the party left the coalition after their minister was sacked. Kári P. Højgaard was minister of internal affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was closed after that.^[3]

Legislative branch

The Faroese Parliament (Løgtingið in Faroese) has 33 MPs (members of parliament), elected for a four-year term by proportional representation.

Election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on September 15, 2011: Social Democrats 1, Union Party 1.^[4]

Political parties and elections

The Faroe Islands have a multi-party system (disputing on independence and unionism as well as left and right), with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. The Faroese Parliament (Løgting) has 33 seats. Members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. For the Løgting elections there were seven electoral districts, each one comprehending asýslur, while Streymoy is divided in a northern and southern part (Tórshavn region), but since 2008, the Faroes constitute a single district.^[5]

The centre-right parties gained significantly, with both the pro-union Union Party and pro-independence People's Party gaining a seat each, while the new Progress movement (classical liberal) – formed seven months earlier as a breakaway from the People's Party – entered the Løgting with two seats.^[6] The left-wing and centrist parties all lost ground in consequence.^[7]

Administrative divisions

The islands are administratively divided into 30 municipalities^[8] with about 120 cities and villages.

Traditionally, there are also the 6 sýslur (Norðoyar, Eysturoy, Streymoy, Vágar, Sandoy and Suðuroy). Sýsla means district and although it is only a police district today, it is still commonly understood as a geographical region. In earlier times, each sýsla had its own ting, the so-called várting (spring ting).

International affairs

Along with diplomatic missions to Iceland, the Court of St. James's (United Kingdom) and the European Union, the Faroe Islands participate in the Nordic Council, NIB, International Maritime Organization, International Whaling Commission
Complete list

Further reading

See also

• Cabinet of the Faroe Islands
• List of Prime Ministers of the Faroe Islands
• Politics of Denmark
• List of Danish High Commissioners in the Faroe Islands

References

External links

• Prime Minister’s Office