Just a few weeks later, on 31 October, the Tvøroyri Social Democratic Association was founded, which shortly afterward changed its name to the Froðba Parish Social Democratic Association. Hans Jacob Lindberg became its first chairman. One of the most active members of the movement in Tvøroyri was the teacher Petur Mohr Dam from Skopun. He also had close ties to the workers’ union in Tvøroyri, Enigheden (later Fylking). He believed that trade unions should serve as the professional wing of the social democratic movement.
Many of those who helped establish the first social democratic associations in the Faroe Islands had also taken part in founding the country’s first workers’ unions. Several had also been involved in the Social Democratic Youth Federation (SUF) as early as the 1910s. This organization was quite active before and during World War I and is considered the country’s first socialist association. The youth organization existed only for a few years, but from it emerged the Tórshavn Workers’ Union in 1916.
In 1926, a Danish parliamentary election took place, but the social democratic associations had not yet united as a party. Therefore, the associations jointly nominated M.S. Viðstein. Andrass Samuelsen from the Union Party was the clear favorite to retain the seat, which he did. However, Viðstein received as many as 1,019 votes—more than twice as many as the independent candidate J.H.O. Djurhuus. In several places, Viðstein even received the most votes, especially where social democratic associations had been established. This gave the movement momentum.
In the autumn of 1927, a meeting was convened in Tórshavn to bring the local associations—now four in number—closer together into a real political party, a “circle organization” (kredsorganisation in Danish). Representatives from associations in Tórshavn, Sandoy, Tvøroyri, and Vágur attended. However, the Froðba Parish association could not accept that the party would become part of the Danish Social Democratic Party. Nevertheless, the “circle organization,” or the Social Democratic Party, was founded in 1927. The first chairman of the Faroese Social Democratic Party became Jóan Petur Davidsen from Sandur, who had also been the first chairman of the Tórshavn Workers’ Union. He later became the party’s first minister.
On 24 May 1927, a historic event took place when the Faroese social democratic newspaper Føroya Social-Demokrat was published for the first time. The first editor-in-chief was Maurentius S. Viðstein. Danish social democrats supported the newspaper both organizationally and financially, and in the early period, the Dane Anton Nielsen worked in the Faroe Islands as founding editor.
Although not all local associations had yet joined under the central organization, they ran jointly in the parliamentary election on 23 January 1928. Two social democratic representatives were elected: M.S. Viðstein in Tórshavn and P.M. Dam in Tvøroyri. Thus, social democrats entered parliament for the first time in 1928, and in the 1932 election, the result was nearly the same.
The early years were marked by efforts to establish the party as an organization. It was difficult to sustain the party newspaper, and ideological disagreements caused unrest. One faction, led by M.S. Viðstein, leaned toward communism and the Third International, while the other, led by P.M. Dam, were democratic socialists aligned with the Nordic labor movement. Internal conflict led to Viðstein resigning as chairman in 1933. He later left both the party and politics entirely, spending the rest of his life as a typographer and poet. P.M. Dam became the new chairman and led the party from 1933 until his death on 8 November 1968.
The early years were also characterized by close cooperation between the party and the trade union movement, which shaped its parliamentary policies. This was reflected in proposals on nationalization, unemployment benefits, social welfare systems, land reforms, and a new education system. However, due to the strong bourgeois majority in parliament, the party had limited influence on policy. On the other hand, its policies had a significant impact on ordinary people, who were living under increasingly difficult conditions throughout the 1930s. The party also achieved major gains in the 1936 election, winning six seats.
The Social Democratic Party played an active role in the work that led to the Home Rule Act of 1948. The party strongly supported the structured transfer of responsibilities, aiming to move the Faroe Islands toward greater self-governance without jeopardizing public welfare.
The party was part of the first government after Home Rule was implemented. However, it left government in 1950 and remained in opposition until 1958, when it became by far the largest party. Social Democratic representatives were elected in all constituencies except North Streymoy, totaling eight seats. The party then secured its first Prime Minister (Løgmaður), Petur Mohr Dam, in coalition with the Union Party and the Self-Government Party.
Since its breakthrough in 1958, the Social Democratic Party has participated in all governments except the following periods: 1963–67, 1981–85, 1989–1991, 1996–2004, 2011–2015, and 2019–2022.
The party is a member of SAMAK (the Joint Committee of the Nordic Labour Movement) and has observer status in the Socialist International.
The party’s youth organization is the Socialist Youth Association (SU), founded in 1965. It is represented in the party leadership on equal terms with other party organizations. SU is a member of FNSU (Nordic social democratic youth organizations) and IUSY (the International Union of Socialist Youth).
Ein loysn frá Sendistovuni