Faroese election makes history as 20-year-old becomes one of the biggest vote-winners

A 20-year-old first-time candidate has become the youngest person ever elected to the Faroese parliament, securing nearly 1,000 personal votes and outperforming her own party leader, Morgenposten fra Færøerne reports.

Bjørg Brynhildardóttir, running for the pro-independence party Tjóðveldi, received 972 votes in Tuesday’s general election—more than any other candidate in her party and the fourth-highest total overall. Speaking after the results, she said: “I’m completely overwhelmed. This is insane. I’m so grateful for all the votes—the youth now have a voice in the Løgting [Faroese parliament].”

Her unexpected success stunned political observers. Sveinur Tróndarson, a veteran journalist with Faroese broadcaster KVF, called it “without doubt the biggest surprise of the night” and admitted he had never seen anything like it in 25 years of covering Faroese politics.

Tjóðveldi celebrated Brynhildardóttir as “the voice of youth” and a figure who reconnected the party with its working-class roots. Former party leader Høgni Hoydal described her as “a new political superstar” and pledged to ensure she would not be “drowned in old political problems.” The party now faces the task of strengthening youth representation and equality—key themes of her campaign.

The election also saw 29-year-old Beinir Johannesen, leader of the Union Party (Fólkaflokkurin), emerge as the overall winner. If he forms a government, he could unseat his uncle, current Prime Minister Axel V. Johannesen, becoming the youngest head of government in Faroese history.

Brynhildardóttir, who had worked at an after-school centre, resigned after her victory, telling employers: “I won’t be coming in tomorrow. I’ve got a new job now.”

The election—Faroe’s second in three days—now shifts focus to coalition talks, with speculation about a broad government including multiple parties. The final power struggle may pit nephew against uncle for control of the archipelago, home to roughly 54,000 people and 1.27 sheep per resident.