Faroese MP’s 1998 vote became the pivot in Denmark’s deadlocked election

The 1998 Danish general election, which ended in a near-tie between the two major blocs, was ultimately decided by the Faroese seats in parliament, with social democrat Jóannes Eidesgaard unexpectedly holding the balance of power, Morgenposten reports.

With just a 176-vote margin securing his seat, Eidesgaard found himself at the centre of a media storm as journalists and party leaders—including then-Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen—demanded to know whether he would back a centre-right or centre-left government.

“It was not a pleasant situation. It was very stressful,” Eidesgaard told Morgenposten in Tórshavn, recalling the night his phone “was red-hot” with calls from reporters and politicians. “I remember Poul Nyrup calling to ask where I would align. They were all waiting nervously for an answer from the Faroes.”

The Faroese politician had pledged to voters that, if elected, he would remain an independent MP, focusing solely on Faroese issues—a promise shaped by the islands’ economic crisis and strained relations with Denmark in the 1990s. With the election result hinging on his decision, Eidesgaard consulted his predecessor, Marita Petersen, before issuing a carefully worded statement: as a social democrat, he would not actively support a centre-right government—but neither could he fully commit to the left.

The final tally left Nyrup’s bloc with 90 seats to the opposition’s 89, securing his continuation as prime minister. Eidesgaard served in the Folketing until 2001 and later became Faroese prime minister from 2004 to 2008.