The Union Party (Faroese: Sambandsflokkurin, also translated Unionist Party) is a conservative-liberal, agrarian political party on the Faroe Islands.[1] The party wants to maintain the Faroe Islands' union with Denmark. On 24 October 2015, Bárður á Steig Nielsen succeeded Kaj Leo Johannesen as party leader.
Union Party Sambandsflokkurin | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Chairperson | Bárður á Steig Nielsen |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Headquarters | Áarvegur 2 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right[3] |
| National affiliation | Venstre |
| Nordic affiliation | Centre Group |
| Colours | Light blue, white |
| Løgting | 7 / 33 |
| Folketing (Faroe seats) | 1 / 2 |
| Election symbol | |
| B | |
| Website | |
| www | |
In the elections in 2008, the party won 21.0% of the popular vote and 7 out of 33 seats. After having been in the opposition for a short interval after the elections, the Union Party formed a new government in September 2008, and Kaj Leo Johannesen became prime minister.
In the Danish parliamentary elections of 2007, the party received 23.5% of the Faroese vote, thereby gaining one of the two Faroese seats in the national legislature of Denmark.
At the general elections in 2011, the party gained 24.7% of the votes and eight seats out of 33. However, on 10 February 2014, the party gained one more seat in the Løgting, after Gerhard Lognberg who was elected to the parliament representing the Social Democratic Party, joined the Union Party.[4] This happened three months after Lognberg had been expelled from the Social Democratic Party due to some disagreements,[5] making the Union Party the joint biggest party of the Faroese parliament, along with the People's Party.[6]
Electoral performance
edit| Year | Votes | Seats | Position | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | ± | |||
| 1906 | 961 | 62.4 | 12 / 20 | New |  1st | Majority |
| 1908 | 663 | 66.1 | 13 / 20 | 1 |  1st | Majority |
| 1910 | 861 | 72.2 | 13 / 20 | 0 | 1st | Majority |
| 1912 | 459 | 52.3 | 13 / 20 | 0 | 1st | Majority |
| 1914 | 699 | 52.7 | 12 / 20 |  1 | 1st | Majority |
| 1916 | 397 | 37.8 | 10 / 20 | 2 | 1st | Minority |
| 1918 | 2,969 | 50.2 | 9 / 20 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1920 | 3,478 | 58.4 | 10 / 20 | 1 | 1st | Minority |
| 1924 | 3,676 | 58.6 | 13 / 23 | 3 | 1st | Majority |
| 1928 | 2,917 | 46.0 | 10 / 23 | 3 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1932 | 3,936 | 50.1 | 11 / 21 | 1 | 1st | Majority |
| 1936 | 2,654 | 33.6 | 8 / 24 | 3 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1940 | 2,722 | 32.2 | 8 / 24 | 0 | 1st | Minority |
| 1943 | 2,736 | 28.3 | 8 / 25 | 0 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1945 | 3,214 | 24.4 | 6 / 25 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1946 | 3,783 | 28.6 | 6 / 25 | 0 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1950 | 3,170 | 27.3 | 7 / 25 | 1 | 2nd | Coalition |
| 1954 | 3,312 | 26.0 | 7 / 27 | 0 | 1st | Coalition |
| 1958 | 3,288 | 23.7 | 7 / 30 | 0 | 3rd | Coalition |
| 1962 | 3,082 | 20.3 | 6 / 29 | 1 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1966 | 4,177 | 23.7 | 6 / 26 | 0 | 2nd | Coalition |
| 1970 | 3,921 | 21.7 | 6 / 26 | 0 | 3rd | Coalition |
| 1974 | 3,799 | 19.5 | 5 / 26 | 1 | 4th | Opposition |
| 1978 | 5,966 | 26.3 | 8 / 32 | 3 | 1st | Opposition |
| 1980 | 5,558 | 23.9 | 8 / 32 | 0 | 1st | Coalition |
| 1984 | 5,330 | 21.2 | 7 / 32 | 0 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1988 | 6,116 | 21.2 | 7 / 32 | 0 | 3rd | Opposition |
| 1990 | 5,367 | 18.9 | 6 / 32 | 1 | 3rd | Coalition |
| 1994 | 5,986 | 23.4 | 8 / 32 | 2 | 1st | Coalition |
| 1998 | 4,995 | 18.0 | 6 / 32 | 2 | 4th | Opposition |
| 2002 | 7,954 | 26.0 | 8 / 32 | 2 | 1st | Opposition |
| 2004 | 7,501 | 23.7 | 7 / 32 | 1 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2008 | 7,501 | 23.7 | 7 / 33 | 0 | 2nd | Coalition |
| 2011 | 7,546 | 24.7 | 8 / 33 | 1 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2015 | 6,036 | 18.7 | 6 / 33 | 2 | 4th | Opposition |
| 2019 | 6,874 | 20.4 | 7 / 33 | 1 | 3rd | Coalition |
| 2022 | 6,834 | 20.0 | 7 / 33 | 0 | 2nd | Opposition |
Leaders
editLeaders of the Union Party:
- Bárður á Steig Nielsen 2015—present
- Kaj Leo Johannesen 2004–2015
- Lisbeth L. Petersen 2001–2004
- Edmund Joensen 1990–2001
- Pauli Ellefsen 1974–1990
- Trygvi Samuelsen 1970–1974
- Johan Poulsen 1948–1970
- Andrass Samuelsen 1924–1948
- Oliver Effersøe 1917–1924
- Fríðrikur Petersen 1906–1917
Current members of the Løgting
editAs of the 2022 general snap election:
| Name | Elected (E), Re-elected (R), or Appointed (A) | Votes obtained in the general election | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bárður á Steig Nielsen | R | 1,355 | Member of the Logting |
| Magnus Rasmussen | R | 713 | Member of the Logting |
| Erhard Joensen | E | 528 | Member of the Logting |
| Johan Dahl | R | 502 | Second Vice-Chairman ("Deputy Speaker") of the Logting[7] |
| Eyðdis Hartmann Niclasen | E | 347 | Member of the Logting |
| Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen | R | 305 | Member of the Logting |
| Helgi Abrahamsen | R | 284 | Member of the Logting |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Faroes/Denmark". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Norden Info – Praktisk informasjon du får bruk for i Norden". Archived from the original on 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Regions and territories: Faroe Islands". BBC News. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ Sandportal.fo, Gerhard Lognberg farin upp í Sambandsflokkin
- ^ Kvf.fo, Gerhard Lognberg er koyrdur úr Javnaðarflokkinum
- ^ In.fo, Janus Rein í Fólkaflokkin
- ^ "Bjørt løgtingsforkvinna og Aksel løgmaður". kvf.fo (in Faroese). 22 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
External links
edit- Sambandsflokkurin official site