• Denmark's news in English
 
Faroes eyes gay unions as govt loses election
Faroe Islanders handed the Social Democrats an election victory. Photo: Scanpix

Faroes eyes gay unions as govt loses election

AFP/The Local · 2 Sep 2015, 15:00

Published: 02 Sep 2015 15:00 GMT+02:00

The Social Democrats, led by Aksel Johannesen, gained two seats in the autonomous territory's 33-member parliament and are expected to form a new government with the pro-independence Republic party.
 
Their coalition will have to include at least one out of two smaller centrist parties to have a parliamentary  majority.
 
The new government is expected to pass legislation allowing same-sex unions.
 
While its former colonial master Denmark was the first country in the world to recognize same-sex unions in 1989 and legalized gay marriage in 2012, the issue has been controversial in the deeply-religious Faroes.
 
The main political parties have allowed their lawmakers to take their own positions on the subject, but Gestur Hovgaard, a social sciences researcher at the University of the Faroe Islands, said the left-wing government would probably now have enough votes in parliament to introduce same-sex unions.
 
Meanwhile, the ruling coalition's two main parties, the conservative-liberal Union Party and the pro-independence People's Party, each lost two seats after an election campaign that had also focused on taxing the booming fisheries sector and tax cuts that the opposition claimed had undermined public finances.
 
"There was a sharp line between the opposition and the government on central issues like fisheries policy and taxation," Hovgaard said.
 
Prime Minister Kaj Leo Johannesen called the election on July 29 after being embroiled in controversy when a probe found that he lied to parliament about a contract to build a subsea tunnel between two islands.
 
The Faroe Islands are not part of the EU and salmon exports to Russia have soared after Moscow last year slapped a ban on food products from the bloc.
 
The opposition has argued that fishing firms, whose sales account for up to 98 percent of the debt-laden territory's exports, should contribute more to the public purse.
 
The archipelago, with 48,000 inhabitants and around 70,000 sheep, has been autonomous from Denmark since 1948 -- although foreign affairs and defence are still the domain of Copenhagen.
 

For more news from Denmark, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

AFP/The Local (news.denmark@thelocal.com)

Your comments about this article

Today's headlines
Danish unemployment benefit overhaul in place
Parliament's three largest parties are backing the deal. Photo: Linda Kastrup/Scanpix

Danish unemployment benefit overhaul in place

0 minutes ago

The government reached an agreement with the Danish People’s Party and the Social Democrats on Thursday that entails significant changes to the unemployment benefit known as dagpenge.

Danish neo-Nazi jailed in Austria for racist attack
The attack occurred at a train station south of Vienna. Photo: Colourbox

Danish neo-Nazi jailed in Austria for racist attack

0 minutes ago

A Danish citizen well-known in the Austrian neo-Nazi environment was behind a racially-motivated pepper spray attack on an Afghan family.

Denmark increases Syrian residence permits
The Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen). Photo: Agustin Millan

Denmark increases Syrian residence permits

0 minutes ago

Syrians now receive more residence permits in Denmark than US citizens, although the number of the latter is also on the rise.

Key witness in Danish genitalia case murdered
The woman was killed in Meseru, the capital of her native Lesotho. Photo: OER Africa/Flickr

Key witness in Danish genitalia case murdered

0 minutes ago

The wife of the Danish man accused of cutting off women’s sexual organs and storing them in his freezer was to be the prosecution’s star witness but now she’s been shot and killed.

Balloon memorial for US boy ends up in Denmark
A message to Blake Seifers (left) made it from Illinois to Denmark. Photos: Justice For Blake Kenneth Seifers/Facebook

Balloon memorial for US boy ends up in Denmark

0 minutes ago

A heartbroken father in the state of Illinois released a helium balloon with a hand-written tribute to his dead son that was found this week in a Dane’s backyard.

Danish troops wanted for dangerous Mali mission
Photo: Issouf Sanogo/Scanpix

Danish troops wanted for dangerous Mali mission

0 minutes ago

The United Nations has asked Denmark to send 250 troops and up to 30 armoured vehicles to its "very dangerous" mission in Mali.

Copenhagen serial rapist faces expulsion
The man was found guilty in Copenhagen City Court. Photo: Colourbox

Copenhagen serial rapist faces expulsion

0 minutes ago

UPDATED: A 25-year-old former refugee was found guilty on Wednesday of three kidnappings and rapes and two additional attempted rapes and will face indefinite imprisonment followed by deportation.

Lego Christmas shortage looms as sales soar
Lego will increase production in Denmark, Mexico and Hungary to meet demand. Photo: Claus Fisker/Scanpix

Lego Christmas shortage looms as sales soar

0 minutes ago

A holiday season without Lego? It could happen as the Danish toy giant struggles to keep up with demand.

Copenhagen gets its very own font

Copenhagen gets its very own font

0 minutes ago

This article was written in plain ol’ Arial, but we could have opted for the new font Copenhagen, which designers hope will help market the Danish capital.

Denmark’s Vestager tells Fiat and Starbucks to pay
The EU's commissioner for competition Margrethe Vestager ordered Starbucks and Fiat to each repay up to 30 million euros in back taxes. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Scanpix

Denmark’s Vestager tells Fiat and Starbucks to pay

0 minutes ago

The EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said on Wednesday that the financial units of Italian car maker Fiat and US coffee chain Starbucks must each repay 20 to 30 million euros in back taxes.

National
Denmark preparing harder residency rules
National
PHOTOS: Despite outrage, Danish zoo dissects lion for kids
International
Denmark centre stage in US presidential debate
Business & Money
Tesla vows to fight Denmark's new tax on electric cars
Travel
Copenhagen travellers to get up to eleven new long-distance routes
International
Dutch TV to refugees: Go to Denmark instead!
Travel
The secret to more travel for less
Travel
Ten museums you must visit in Denmark
National
Denmark approves tougher citizenship rules
National
Danish officials were warned about asylum centre knifeman
Society
Sexy new ad tells Danes to 'do it for mom!'
National
Denmark's Mohammed cartoons: a decade of controversy
Business & Money
Danish tax authority cleans up after scandals
Health
Danes' life expectancy worst in western Europe
National
Danish intelligence agency: Terrorists not among refugees
International
Dane cut off women’s genitals in South Africa
Society
Huh?!? Danish group wants pedestrians to use hand signals
National
Denmark's infamous anti-refugee ads under investigation
Politics
Thorning vies to lead same UN agency that slammed her policies
Sponsored Article
How to watch the Rugby World Cup from Denmark
Analysis & Opinion
Denmark sticks to hardline refugee stance amid changing public opinion
Technology
Mission accomplished! Denmark's first astronaut back on Earth
Society
Norwegians reveal the (hilariously inaccurate) origins of Danish
National
Denmark rejects EU call for "compulsory" refugee quotas
2,352
jobs available