Election turmoil in Tórshavn as Heðin Mortensen changes course on mayoral bid

The election setup for the municipal vote in Tórshavn did not go as planned for the Social Democratic Party.

Heðin Mortensen, the longstanding mayor and head of the party, initially announced he would step down, paving the way for his daughter, Elin Heðinsdóttir Joensen, to take his place on the ballot. However, Mortensen later decided to run again, complicating matters.

Kári Johansen was first set to represent the Progress Party, but subsequently, key figures like Tróndur Sigurðsson, Bjørg Dam, and Súna Mørk announced they would not seek reelection. Johansen also removed himself from the Progress Party’s list.

Currently, there is a new list forming, led by Tróndur Sigurðsson. It appears that he, along with Kári Johansen, Bjørg Dam, and Súna Mørk, will be part of this new slate. Notably, four of the six current Social Democrats in the Tórshavn City Council will be running under this new list.

In the 2020 elections, they collectively garnered 1,610 votes, with Sigurðsson receiving 882 of those.

Only Heðin Mortensen and Kristianna Winther Poulsen from the previous Social Democratic council members are running on the traditional party list this time.

Questions arose about the ideological differences between the new list and the old Social Democratic list, as well as whether the changes were motivated by personal disagreements. However, those involved have chosen not to make any comments until the new list is officially launched.