List of lawmen and prime ministers of the Faroe Islands

The prime minister of the Faroe Islands is the head of government of the Faroe Islands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Faroese term {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (plural: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) literally means "lawman" and originally referred to the legal function of lawspeaker. This old title was brought back into use to refer to the head of government after the islands obtained Home Rule in 1948. In recent decades the Faroese government has started using "Prime Minister" as the official English translation of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, reflecting the increased autonomy of the islands. This translation does not apply to the pre-1816 office, only the modern leaders of the Faroese government.

List of Løgmenn

Løgmenn as lawmen (Template:Circa–1816)

Many of the earlier holders of this position are not known.

Name	Born–Died	Term of Office
Gilli		Template:Circa 1000
Sjúrður		Template:Circa 1300
Símun		Template:Circa 1350
Dagfinnur Halvdanarson		Template:Circa 1400
Haraldur Kálvsson		Template:Circa 1412
Roald		Template:Circa 1450
Jørundur Skógdrívsson		1479–1524
Tórmóður Sigurðsson		1524–1531
Andras Guttormsson	Template:Circa 1490–1543	1531–1544
Guttormur Andrasson	Died 1572	1544–1572
Jógvan Heinason	1541–1602	1572–1583
Ísak Guttormsson	Died 1587	1583–1588
Pætur Jákupsson		1588–1601
Tummas Símunarson	Died 1608	1601–1608
Zakarias Tormóðsson	Died 1628	1608–1628
Jógvan Justinusson	Died 1654	1629–1654
Jógvan Poulsen (1st time)		1654–1655
Balzer Jacobsen		1655–1661
Jógvan Poulsen (2nd time)		1662–1677
Jákup Jógvansson		1677–1679
Jóhan Hendrik Weyhe		1679–1706
Sámal Pætursson Lamhauge	Died 1752	1706–1752
Hans Jákupsson Debes	1723–1769	1752–1769
Thorkild Fjeldsted	1741–1796	1769–1772
Jacob Hveding		1772–1786
Johan Michael Lund	1753–1824	1786–1808
Jørgen Frantz Hammershaimb	1767–1820	1808–1816

Løgmenn as Prime Ministers during the Home Rule era (1948–present)

Template:Abbr	Portrait	Name	Term of office			Party	Election	Cabinet
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 1		Andrass Samuelsen (1873–1954)	12 May 1948	15 December 1950	Template:Ayd	Union Party	1946	Samuelsen
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 2		Kristian Djurhuus (1895–1984)	15 December 1950	8 January 1959	Template:Ayd	Union Party	1950 1954	Djurhuus I–II
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 3		Peter Mohr Dam (1898–1968)	8 January 1959	4 January 1963	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1958
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 4		Hákun Djurhuus (1908–1987)	4 January 1963	12 January 1967	Template:Ayd	People's Party	1962
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| Template:Small		Peter Mohr Dam (1898–1968)	12 January 1967	19 November 1968	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1966
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| Template:Small		Kristian Djurhuus (1895–1984)	19 November 1968	12 December 1970	Template:Ayd	Union Party	1966
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 5		Atli Dam (1932–2005)	12 December 1970	5 January 1981	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1970 1974 1978
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 6		Pauli Ellefsen (1936–2012)	5 January 1981	10 January 1985	Template:Ayd	Union Party	1980
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| Template:Small		Atli Dam (1932–2005)	10 January 1985	18 January 1989	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1984
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 7		Jógvan Sundstein (1933–2024)	18 January 1989	15 January 1991	Template:Ayd	People's Party	1988
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| Template:Small		Atli Dam (1932–2005)	15 January 1991	18 January 1993	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1990
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 8		Marita Petersen (1940–2001)	18 January 1993	15 September 1994	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	1990
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 9		Edmund Joensen (1944– )	15 September 1994	15 May 1998	Template:Ayd	Union Party	1994	Joensen I–II
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 10		Anfinn Kallsberg (1947–2024)	15 May 1998	3 February 2004	Template:Ayd	People's Party	1998 2002	Kallsberg I–II
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 11		Jóannes Eidesgaard (1951– )	3 February 2004	26 September 2008	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	2004	Eidesgaard I–II
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 12		Kaj Leo Johannesen (1964– )	26 September 2008	15 September 2015	Template:Ayd	Union Party	2008 2011	Leo Johannesen I–II
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 13		Aksel V. Johannesen (1972– )	15 September 2015	16 September 2019	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	2015	Aksel Johannesen
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| 14		Bárður á Steig Nielsen (1972– )	16 September 2019	22 December 2022	Template:Ayd	Union Party	2019	Steig Nielsen
style="background:Template:Party color; color:white;"| Template:Small		Aksel V. Johannesen (1972– )	22 December 2022	Incumbent	Template:Ayd	Social Democratic Party	2022	Aksel Johannesen II<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Timeline since 1948

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of the Faroe Islands. They are listed in order of office (those who served multiple terms are shown in order of their first).

<timeline> Define $width = 1000 # 4 pixels per year ($end - $start) × 4 Define $warning = 880 # $width - 120 Define $height = 450 # 14 × 25 + 150 Define $footnote = 800 # $width - 400

Define $start = 1870 Define $end = 2026 Define $now = 2026

ImageSize = width:$width height:$height PlotArea = right:10 left:1 bottom:80 top:60 Period = from:$start till:$end TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1

Colors =

    id:bg                 value:white
    id:lightline          value:rgb(0.8, 0.8, 0.8)
    id:lighttext          value:rgb(0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
    id:LIFESPAN           value:rgb(0.88, 0.90, 0.70) Legend: Lifespan
    id:PM_UNION           value:rgb(0, 0.42, 0.71) Legend: Union_Party
    id:PM_SDP             value:rgb(0.82, 0.05, 0.27) Legend: Social_Democrat
    id:PM_PP              value:rgb(0, 0.52, 0.23) Legend: People's_Party
    id:NAME               value:rgb(0.15, 0.13, 0.05)
    id:TODAY              value:green

BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightline unit:year increment:1 start:$start ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lighttext unit:year increment:10 start:1870

Define $dy = -5 # shift text to button side of bar

LineData=

  at:$now color:TODAY width:0.1

PlotData=

 bar:1 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1873 till:1948 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Andrass Samuelsen
   color:PM_UNION
   from:1948 till:1950
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1950 till:1954

 bar:2 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1895 till:1950 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Kristian Djurhuus
   color:PM_UNION
   from:1950 till:1959
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1959 till:1968
   color:PM_UNION
   from:1968 till:1970
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1970 till:1984

 bar:3 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1898 till:1959 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Peter Mohr Dam
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1959 till:1963
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1963 till:1967
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1967 till:1968

 bar:4 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1908 till:1963 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Hákun Djurhuus
   color:PM_PP
   from:1963 till:1967
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1967 till:1987

 bar:5 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1932 till:1970 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Atli Dam
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1970 till:1981
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1981 till:1985
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1985 till:1989
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1989 till:1991
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1991 till:1993
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1993 till:2005

 bar:6 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1936 till:1981 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Pauli Ellefsen
   color:PM_UNION
   from:1981 till:1985
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1985 till:2012

 bar:7 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1933 till:1989 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Jógvan Sundstein
   color:PM_PP
   from:1989 till:1991
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1991 till:2024

 bar:8 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1940 till:1993 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Marita Petersen
   color:PM_SDP
   from:1993 till:1994
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1994 till:2001

 bar:9 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1944 till:1994 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Edmund Joensen
   color:PM_UNION
   from:1994 till:1998
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:1998 till:$now

 bar:10 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1947 till:1998 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Anfinn Kallsberg
   color:PM_PP
   from:1998 till:2004
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:2004 till:2024

 bar:11 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1951 till:2004 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Jóannes Eidesgaard
   color:PM_SDP
   from:2004 till:2008
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:2008 till:$now

 bar:12 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1964 till:2008 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Kaj Leo Johannesen
   color:PM_UNION
   from:2008 till:2015
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:2015 till:$now

 bar:13 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1972 till:2015 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Aksel V. Johannesen
   color:PM_SDP
   from:2015 till:2019
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:2019 till:2022
   color:PM_SDP
   from:2022 till:$now

 bar:14 width:18
   color:LIFESPAN align:center fontsize:M
   from:1972 till:2019 shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Bárður á Steig Nielsen
   color:PM_UNION
   from:2019 till:2022
   color:LIFESPAN
   from:2022 till:$now

TextData =

 fontsize:M
 textcolor:green
 pos:($warning,30)
 text:Updated 05/2026

TextData =

  pos:(220,$height)
  fontsize:L
  textcolor:black
  text:"Lifespan and terms of office of each Faroese Prime Minister"

</timeline>

See also

• Politics of the Faroe Islands
• List of deputy prime ministers of the Faroe Islands