Record voter turnout in Tvøroyri driven by underwater tunnel debate

Voter participation in Tvøroyri has reached unprecedented levels in the latest Faroese parliamentary elections, with local officials attributing the surge to the contentious Suðuroy Tunnel project, public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Turnout in Tvøroyri hit 91.8% in this week’s parliamentary election—the highest in at least five election cycles, according to Marianna Mikkjalsdóttir, the town’s electoral chair. The figure marks the first time local participation has exceeded 90% in recent history. Just days earlier, municipal elections saw a 79.8% turnout, the highest since 2007.

Mikkjalsdóttir linked the spike directly to the proposed Suðuroy Tunnel, which would connect the southern island of Suðuroy to the Faroese mainland. “People are turning out because they want to ensure candidates who support the tunnel get elected,” she stated, adding that the project has “awakened” the electorate. Preliminary results show the top two local candidates—Bjarni Hammer and Súsanna Bertholdsen, both from the centre-left Javnaðarflokkurin—campaigning on tunnel advocacy.

The electoral chair dismissed the idea that the back-to-back record turnouts were coincidental, arguing that voters are deliberately backing representatives who will push the tunnel proposal forward. “This isn’t random,” Mikkjalsdóttir said. “People here want a say in this project, and they’re using their votes to make it happen.”