Faroese parliamentary recount could delay opening of new session

The recount of votes from the Faroese parliamentary election may push back the start of the new legislative session, national broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Only three votes separated candidates on both the Union Party and Republic Party lists, according to images from the recount at Hotel Hafnia in Tórshavn on Monday. The process involves 27 officials reviewing ballots from the 30 March election.

Malan Johansen, chair of both the parliamentary and municipal election boards, said the recount is more time-consuming than the recent local elections due to the higher number of votes cast. She noted that minor errors had been found in the municipal election count, primarily involving incorrectly marked ballots.

The recount follows stricter sealing procedures after a municipal election official in Oyndarfjørður was charged with electoral fraud. All ballots are being rechecked, with 35,309 votes cast in the parliamentary election—89.5% voter turnout. An additional 147 blank and 75 invalid ballots will also be reviewed.

Six parties fielded 160 candidates in the election. The closest races involved Johan Dahl and Magna Højgaard on the Union Party list, and Jóhan Christiansen and Eirikur í Jákupsstovu on the Republic Party list, each separated by just three votes.