The Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar pronounced [ˈfœɹjaɹ], Danish: Færøerne Danish pronunciation: [ˈfæɐ̯øːˀɐnə]) are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The islands form a self-governing country under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The total area is approximately 1,400 km² (540 sq mi) with a 2010 population of almost 50,000 people.
The Faroe Islands has been a self-governing dependency of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948. Over the years, the Faroese have taken control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands also has representatives in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation.
The Faroe Islands were associated with and taxed by Denmark and Norway up to 1814, when Norway fell under the rule of Sweden. Scandinavia was in political turmoil following the Sixth Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars, when the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland in 1814. The Danish trade monopoly ended in 1856.
The Republic (Faroese: Tjóðveldi, also known as the Republican Party) is a left-wing political party in the Faroe Islands committed to Faroese Independence. It was founded in 1948 as a reaction to independence not being proclaimed after a public vote on the matter showed a significant plurality (almost a majority) for it in 1946.
In 1998 Høgni Hoydal succeeded Heini O. Heinesen as party leader.
At the legislative elections, held on 20 January 2004, the party won 21.7% of the popular vote and 8 out of 33 seats. However, after the passing of an amendment adding the phrase 'sexual orientation' to paragraph 266b of the Anti-Discrimination Act, MP Karsten Hansen announced that he was leaving the party owing to a difference in opinion. He later joined the Centre Party.
At the elections on 19 January 2008, the party won 23.3% of the vote and 8 out of 33 seats.
In 2007, the party changed its name from Tjóðveldisflokkurin to simply Tjóðveldi (i.e., from "Republican Party" to just "Republic").
In the Danish parliamentary elections of 2007, the party received 25.4% of the Faroese vote, thereby retaining one of the two Faroese seats in the Danish national Folketing. In the 2011 election, however, its votes declined and it lost its seat to the Social Democrats.
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