Women now hold majority in Faroese finance committee for first time

Women have secured a majority in the Faroe Islands’ parliamentary finance committee for the first time, though they remain underrepresented in leadership roles overall, reports Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya.

Four women—Elsebeth Mercedes Gunnleygsdóttir, Eyðgunn Samuelsen, Sirið Stenberg, and Ruth Vang—will sit on the committee, which now consists of four women and three men. The committee will be chaired by Helgi Abrahamsen, the sole male representative.

While gender balance does not formally influence committee assignments in the Faroese Parliament (Løgtingi), the shift marks a notable development, as women make up roughly one-third of all MPs. Elsebeth Mercedes Gunnleygsdóttir, who did not receive a cabinet position, will also serve as parliamentary group leader for the People’s Party (Fólkaflokkurin).

The current distribution of committee chairs is as follows:
– Finance Committee: Helgi Abrahamsen (chair)
– Foreign Affairs Committee: Jørgen Niclasen (chair)
– Labour Committee: Ben Arabo (chair)
– Judicial Committee: Fróði Magnussen (chair)
– Welfare Committee: Grímur Sundstein (chair)
– Cultural Committee: Súsanna Bertholdsen (chair)
– Constitutional Affairs Committee: Erhard Joensen (chair)