Faroe Islands Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Faroe Islands

Type self-governing province within the Kingdom of Denmark; 2 representatives in Danish parliament

Capital: Torshavn on the island of Streymoy

Political subdivisions: 7 districts, 49 communes, 1 town

Legal system: based on Danish law; Home Rule Act enacted 1948

Branches, legislative authority rests jointly with Crown, acting through appointed High Commissioner, and 32-member provincial parliament (Lagting) in matters of strictly Faroese concern, executive power vested in Crown, acting through High Commissioner, but exercised by provincial cabinet responsible to provincial parliament

Government leaders: MARGRETHE 11, Queen (since January 1972); Atli DAM, Lagmand, Prime Minister (since December 1984); Niels BENTSEN, Danish Governor (since 1981)

Suffrage: universal, but not compulsory, over age 21

Elections: held every four years; most recent, 8 November 1984

Political parties and leaders: four-party ruling coalition—Social Democratic, Atli Dam; Republican Eriendur Patursson, Home Rule, Tobjorn Poulsen; Peoples, Jogvan Sundstein

Voting strength: (January 1985) four-party coalition—17 of 32 seats

Communists: insignificant number

Member of: Nordic Council

NOTE: The information regarding Faroe Islands on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Faroe Islands 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Faroe Islands 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.