Faroese general election, 2015

Last updated
Faroese general election, 2015
Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg
  2011 1 September 2015 2019  
Turnout 88.8%

Party Leader% Seats±
Social Democratic Aksel V. Johannesen 25.1% 8 +2
Republic Høgni Hoydal 20.7% 7 +1
People's Jørgen Niclasen 18.9% 6 -2
Union Kaj Leo Johannesen 18.7% 6 -2
Progress Poul Michelsen 7.0% 2 0
Centre Jenis av Rana 5.5% 2 0
Self-Government Jógvan Skorheim 4.1% 2 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Prime Minister before Prime Minister
Kaj Leo Johannesen
Union
Aksel V. Johannesen
Social Democratic
Coat of arms of the Faroe Islands.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the Faroe Islands

General elections were held in the Faroe Islands on 1 September 2015. [1] Elections for the Danish Folketing were held beforehand on 18 June.

Faroe Islands Autonomus constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark

The Faroe Islands, or the Faeroe Islands—a North Atlantic archipelago located 200 miles (320 km) north-northwest of the United Kingdom and about halfway between Norway and Iceland—are an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Total area is about 1,400 square kilometres (540 sq mi) with a population of 50,322 in October 2017.

Contents

Background

On 4 August 2015 the Løgting passed a motion that criticized Prime Minister Kaj Leo Johannesen and former Minister of the Interior Kári P. Højgaard, [2] accusing Johannesen of lying to the Løgting in connection with a 1 million kroner break fee clause in the contract led by the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to build a sub-sea tunnel between Eysturoy and Streymoy.

Løgting parliament of the Faroe Islands

The Løgting is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous country within the Danish Realm.

Kaj Leo Johannesen Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands since 2008

Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen is a Faroese politician. He was the prime minister of the Faroe Islands, representing the Faroese Unionist Party (Sambandsflokkurin). He took office, succeeding Jóannes Eidesgaard on 26 September 2008 and left office on 15 September 2015, after his party and coalition with Fólkaflokkurin and Miðflokkurin lost the general election on 1 September 2015. Johannesen is also a former international football player; he was goalkeeper for the Faroe Islands national football team.

Kári P. Højgaard Faroese politician

Kári Páll Højgaard is a Faroese politician. He was chairman of the Self-Government Party (Sjálvstýrisflokkurin) until April 2015 and is a former President of the West Nordic Council (2008-09) (2011-2012) (2017-2018).

Although Kaj Leo Johannesen had previously told the Løgting that he had no part of the break fee, a judicial inquiry led by Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen (the Danish ombudsman from 1987 until 2012) confirmed in June 2015 that Kaj Leo Johannesen had knowingly misled the Løgting on several occasions, [3] thereby breaking the law. [4] [5] For some time not much happened, the Prime Minister refused to take any action but went on holiday for a month. The speaker of the Løgting refused to assemble parliament, which had no scheduled meeting before 29 July 2015.

Ombudsman government service charged with investigating complaints of maladministration or violation of rights

An ombudsman, ombudsperson, ombud, or public advocate is an official who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or a violation of rights. The ombudsman is usually appointed by the government or by parliament, but with a significant degree of independence. In some countries an inspector general, citizen advocate or other official may have duties similar to those of a national ombudsman, and may also be appointed by a legislature. Below the national level an ombudsman may be appointed by a state, local or municipal government. Unofficial ombudsmen may be appointed by, or even work for, a corporation such as a utility supplier, newspaper, NGO, or professional regulatory body.

On 29 July Kaj Leo Johannesen gave his annual Ólavsøka speech to the Løgting, ending it by calling general elections. A week later on 4 August, the Løgting assembled to discuss the Johannesen's speech, as the law requires. All 33 members of the Løgting voted yes, including Højgaard. Republic and Progress then demanded a vote of no confidence in Kaj Leo Johannesen, in which 14 MPs voted for the motion, 9 against it and 10 cast blank votes, short of the majority of 17 required to pass the motion. Only 9 of 20 MPs from Kaj Leo Johannesen’s coalition chose to back him and voted against the motion, [6] including six from his own party, the Speaker Jógvan á Lakjuni from the People's Party and the two MPs from the Centre Party. However, three Union Party MPs cast blank votes, including Deputy Chairman Bárður Nielsen, whilst People's Party chairman Jákup Mikkelsen voted for the motion.

Ólavsøka

Ólavsøka is the biggest summer festival in the Faroe Islands, and by most Faroese considered as the national holiday of the Faroes along with Flagday on 25 April. Ólavsøka is celebrated for several days, but the day itself is on July 29. It is the day when the Faroese Parliament (Løgting), opens its session.

A republic is a form of government in which the country is considered a “public matter”, not the private concern or property of the rulers. The primary positions of power within a republic are not inherited, but are attained through democracy, oligarchy or autocracy. It is a form of government under which the head of state is not a monarch.

Speaker (politics) presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body

The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.

Kaj Leo Johannesen maintains that he did not lie, but only gave incorrect information to the Løgting. [7]

Electoral system

The 33 members of the Løgting were elected by open list proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency with an electoral threshold of 3.03030%. Seats were allocated using to the d'Hondt method. [8]

Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This as opposed to closed list, which allows only active members, party officials, or consultants to determine the order of its candidates and gives the general voter no influence at all on the position of the candidates placed on the party list. Additionally, an open list system allows voters to select individuals rather than parties. Different systems give voter different amounts of influence. Voter's choice is usually called preference vote.

Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. If n% of the electorate support a particular political party, then roughly n% of seats will be won by that party. The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result - not just a plurality, or a bare majority. The most prevalent forms of proportional representation all require the use of multiple-member voting districts, as it is not possible to fill a single seat in a proportional manner. In fact, the implementations of PR that achieve the highest levels of proportionality tend to include districts with large numbers of seats.

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

Opinion polls

Hustings in Trongisvagur on 25 August 2015; from left to right: Kari P. Hojgaard (D), Jakup Suni Lauritsen (H), Kristin Michelsen (C), Pall a Reynatugvu (E), Elsebeth Mercedis Gunnleygsdottur (A), Hanna Jensen (F) and Magni Laksafoss (B). Faroese politicians 25082015.JPG
Hustings in Trongisvágur on 25 August 2015; from left to right: Kári P. Højgaard (D), Jákup Suni Lauritsen (H), Kristin Michelsen (C), Páll á Reynatúgvu (E), Elsebeth Mercedis Gunnleygsdóttur (A), Hanna Jensen (F) and Magni Laksáfoss (B).

The ruling centre-right coalition led by Johannesen was consistently behind in the polls, while the Social Democrats led by Aksel Johannesen were well ahead. However, polls closer to election day showed a tightening race.

Vote

DateSource PP UP SP NS R P CP
31 August 2015 Gallup 18.2%19.0%22.9%3.1%19.4%10.6%6.8%
31 August 2015 Fynd 20.4%19.2%19.3%5.9%16.5%11.2%7.4%
28 August 2015 Fynd 20.8%19.6%21.3%4.9%18.0%8.7%6.7%
20 August 2015 Fynd 18.3%21.1%21.3%4.2%17.6%11.7%5.9%
6 August 2015 Fynd 18.6%19.0%23.0%2.9%20.2%11.6%4.7%
22 April 2015Fynd16.2%19.7%25.8%4.3%18.2%11.0%4.8%
6 March 2015 Fynd 18.9%18.1%26.5%3.1%21.3%6.1%5.8%
5 December 2014 Gallup 18.9%17.4%28.3%3.2%21.3%5.4%5.5%
6 November 2014 Fynd 20.1%22.4%25.8%2.4%21.1%3.3%4.8%
5–11 September 2013 Gallup 17.2%22.1%21.7%4.5%23.6%5.7%5.2%
2011 election results 22.5%24.7%17.7%4.2%18.3%6.3%6.2%

Seats

DateSource PP UP SP NS R P CP
31 August 2015 Gallup 6681642
31 August 2015 Fynd 7662543
28 August 2015 Fynd 7672632
20 August 2015 Fynd 6771642
6 August 2015 Fynd 6680742
20–21 April 2015 Fynd 5691642
6 March 2015 Fynd 6691722
5 December 2014 Gallup 6691722
6 November 2014 Fynd 7790712
5–11 September 2013 Gallup 6771822
2011 election results 8861622

Results

The opposition parties made a major comeback from the 2011 elections, with the Social Democratic Party and Republic gaining two and one seats respectively. Progress regained its second seat, which it lost in 2011 when Janus Rein left the party. Despite a small reduction in their vote share, New Self-Government gained one seat.

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party 8,09325.1+7.38+2
Republic 6,69120.7+2.57+1
People's Party 6,10218.9–3.66–2
Union Party 6,04618.7–5.96–2
Progress 2,2417.0+0.720
Centre Party 1,7795.5–0.720
New Self-Government 1,3054.1–0.12+1
Invalid/blank votes117
Total32,3741000330
Registered voters/turnout36,45888.8+2.2
Source: KVF

Of the 117 void votes, 76 were blank and 41 invalid. [9]

By region and polling district

Towns and settlements on the Faroes, the polling places Fossanes and Giljanes are schools and therefore not on the map. Faroe map with villages, streets, straits, firths, ferry harbours and major moutains.png
Towns and settlements on the Faroes, the polling places Fossanes and Giljanes are schools and therefore not on the map.

There were 58 polling districts (down from 60 in 2011), of which 56 were towns and two (Giljanes and Fossanes) were schools. Giljanes was one of the two polling places on the western island of Vágar, while Fossanes is located on the Norðoyar. There were two polling places in the capital area; Tórshavn, which includes the suburbs of Hvítanes and Hoyvík, and the southern suburb Argir. The Vágar region includes the neighbouring island Mykines and the Sandoy region includes Skúvoy, while the rest of Streymoy includes the polling places on the islets Nólsoy and Hestur.

Area People's Party Union Party Social Democratic Party New Self-Government Republic Progress Centre Party
Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
National6,10218.96,04618.78,09325.11,3054.16,69120.72,2417.01,7795.5
Capital Area1,65513.51,76914.43,32227.02482.03,17925.81,45111.86785.5
Rest of Streymoy33815.837217.359127.6653.049022.81929.0974.5
Eysturoy1,46218.52,14727.21,46118.55817.41,30516.54035.15376.8
Klaksvík1,04032.449915.670522.02768.645614.2662.11665.2
Rest of Norðoyar28538.29312.413518.1435.811415.3222.9557.4
Suðuroy56618.148015.41,33542.7290.957418.4260.81163.7
Vágar52126.646023.544022.5562.931716.2633.21025.2
Sandoy23526.922625.910411.970.825629.3182.1283.2
Argir19514.620715.536627.5262.030623.015311.5806.0
Árnafjørður1541.7411.125.612.81027.800.0411.1
Dalur311.127.42074.100.027.400.000.0
Eiði7316.28619.18017.8224.912928.7255.6357.8
Elduvík323.1323.1646.200.017.700.000.0
Fámjin810.71925.32938.700.01925.300.000.0
Fossanes9135.43714.44818.7103.93814.831.23011.7
Fuglafjørður21121.422022.326026.3181.820420.7454.6292.9
Funningsfjørður920.524.5920.524.51227.3511.4511.4
Funningur716.7614.31023.8716.7716.737.124.8
Giljanes32825.929123.028022.2423.322017.4423.3614.8
Gjógv829.6622.227.400.0829.600.0311.1
Gøta21328.912416.813618.5435.811715.9638.5415.6
Haldórsvík75.61915.25644.8129.61310.41512.032.4
Haraldssund715.9511.4715.924.51840.9511.400.0
Hattarvík650.000.0216.718.3325.000.000.0
Hellurnar00.0430.8538.517.7323.100.000.0
Hestur16.7320.0640.000.0426.700.016.7
Hósvík2110.13818.46732.483.93918.82110.1136.3
Hov811.31419.73853.522.879.911.411.4
Húsar12.91029.41441.212.9411.8411.800.0
Húsavík3355.01321.758.300.0711.723.300.0
Hvalba14534.47618.112229.030.75312.641.0184.3
Hvalvík6521.27223.57524.592.94815.7206.5175.6
Kaldbak4227.1138.42113.595.84126.5117.11811.6
Kirkja417.4626.114.31043.514.300.014.3
Kollafjørður13221.711118.216827.6111.812220.0416.7243.9
Kunoy36.448.51736.2510.61531.912.124.3
Kvívík318.97621.810329.5102.98724.9349.782.3
Leirvík12522.411019.712021.5193.411019.7376.6376.6
Lopra2129.679.91926.800.01521.111.4811.3
Mikladalur1134.400.0412.526.31237.513.126.3
Mykines218.2436.419.119.1327.300.000.0
Nólsoy1913.61410.03927.910.73827.12316.464.3
Oyndarfjørður1211.42826.72321.987.62120.087.654.8
Oyrarbakki4211.512634.69125.0164.45615.4298.041.1
Porkeri4319.62812.810146.120.92210.010.52210.0
Runavík35519.552829.121511.830616.91598.8583.219510.7
Sandur14640.1298.0339.120.514339.361.651.4
Sandvík1218.2812.12639.411.51725.823.000.0
Skálabotnur34.6710.81421.511.52944.611.51015.4
Skálavík2122.32223.42021.311.12728.722.111.1
Skáli5813.511927.710424.2368.46414.9153.5347.9
Skopun289.514649.3248.131.06722.662.0227.4
Skúvoy412.11442.426.113.01030.326.100.0
Strendur7412.122436.511017.9437.07311.9223.66811.1
Sumba1710.02011.87041.252.95632.900.021.2
Svínoy838.1314.329.514.8628.600.014.8
Sørvágur19127.916524.115923.2131.99413.7213.1416.0
Tjørnuvík23.9611.82345.147.81121.635.923.9
Toftir12315.535244.59512.0536.78911.3313.9486.1
Tórshavn1,46013.31,56214.22,95626.92222.02,87326.21,29811.85985.5
Tvøroyri16814.51119.666957.6121.015012.9121.0393.4
Vágur14416.519722.626129.940.523526.950.6253.0
Velbastaður189.62010.63317.610.58746.32412.852.7
Vestmanna14617.420224.018121.560.722326.5617.3212.5
Viðareiði13957.72410.03815.8104.172.983.3156.2
Source: KVF

See also

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References