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Gay union question dominating Faroese election
TheCopenhagenPost
September 2nd, 2015
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This article is more than 9 years old.
Gay rights overshadowing other issues in upcoming island vote
The Faroese people head to the polls on Tuesday (photo: Erik Christensen)
The issue of gays having the right to have their marriages or civil partnership legally recognised has become the hot button in the Faroese election debate. The topic has overshadowed issues like fisheries and tax reform.
“The discussion on registered partnership is everywhere,” said Eiríkur Lindskov, editor of the Faroese newspaper Sosialurin.
It is not possible for gay couples to register their partnerships under the current Faroese law.
The main opponent to gays having the right to register their unions is the small Christian Centre Party, which says that that the bible can not accept two people of the same sex entering into a relationship.
In 2008, the party forced the previous government to table a proposal that would have improved gay and lesbian rights.
Taxes too
Other conservative Faroese parties have also expressed doubts about gay couples being allowed to marry or register their unions.
Meanwhile, the political parties Social Democrats, Republikanerne and the new liberal party Fremskridt have all given increased rights for gay couples the thumbs up.
While gay rights are taking up the most space in the Faroese election debate, tax cuts are also being discussed. The current government has been criticized for the flat tax it introduced a few years ago.
Critics say that the current system primarily benefits those earning high wages and that the flat tax was originally funded by taxing pension funds, causing some to doubt whether there will be money available in lean times.
READ MORE: Parliament election on Faroe Islands announced
All of the parties are campaigning on tax cuts for low and middle income earners.
The Faroese go to the polls on Tuesday to vote on which parties will fill the 33 seats in the Faroese parliament.
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