Centre Party fails to gather enough signatures for child benefit proposal

The Faroese Centre Party has abandoned its plan to introduce a new child benefit law after failing to secure the required parliamentary support, Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

The party had aimed to push forward a draft law, set to take effect on 1 January 2027, during the current parliamentary session. However, with the session nearing its end and the final attempt made, the proposal required at least 17 signatures from MPs to proceed—a threshold the party did not meet.

Party leader Steffan Klein Poulsen acknowledged the setback in his speech at the party’s annual conference on Monday, stating it did not come as a complete surprise given the political climate. He criticised opponents who, despite advocating for democracy and transparency, “stand at the forefront of restricting free speech by dictating what is legally permissible to say in debates.”

Poulsen confirmed the Centre Party will continue working toward what he called “a better alternative” in the next parliamentary term.