Union Party (Faroe Islands)

The Union Party (Faroese: Sambandsflokkurin, Danish: Unionspartiet, Sambandspartiet, navnet betyder Forbundspartiet, SPda), 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
ChairpersonBárður á Steig Nielsen
Founded1906
HeadquartersÁarvegur 2, Tórshavn
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right[3]
National affiliationVenstre
Nordic affiliationCentre Group
Colours   Light blue, white
Løgting
7 / 33
Folketing
(Faroe seats)
1 / 2
Election symbol
Website
www.samband.fo

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

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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

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Leaders of the Union Party:

Current members of the Løgting

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As 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

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  1. ^ a b c d Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Faroes/Denmark". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Norden Info – Praktisk informasjon du får bruk for i Norden". Archived from the original on 8 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Regions and territories: Faroe Islands". BBC News. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  4. ^ Sandportal.fo, Gerhard Lognberg farin upp í Sambandsflokkin
  5. ^ Kvf.fo, Gerhard Lognberg er koyrdur úr Javnaðarflokkinum
  6. ^ In.fo, Janus Rein í Fólkaflokkin
  7. ^ "Bjørt løgtingsforkvinna og Aksel løgmaður". kvf.fo (in Faroese). 22 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
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