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Heðin Mortensen

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Heðin Mortensen
Mayor of Tórshavn
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byAnnika Olsen
In office
January 1, 2005 – December 31, 2016
Preceded byJan Christiansen
Succeeded byAnnika Olsen
Personal details
Born (1946-04-07) April 7, 1946 (age 78)
Trongisvágur
Political partySocial Democratic Party
SpouseHjørdis née Egholm

Heðin Mortensen (born April 7, 1946) is a Faroese politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He is the current mayor of the Municipality of Tórshavn since January 1, 2021.[1] He was also mayor from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2016.[2][better source needed]

Mortensen was born in Trongisvágur. He worked as a mechanic from 1961 to 1978, when he became an insurance agent for The Faroe Insurance Company (Faroese: Tryggingarfelagið Føroyar). He headed the Tórshavn Rowing Club from 1973 to 1979, the Tórshavn Athletics Association (Faroese: Tórshavnar Ítróttarráð) from 1975 to 1978, and the Faroese Athletics Association (Faroese: Ítróttasamband Føroya) from 1980 to 2000.[3] He was also the chair of the Tórshavn Theater Society from 1996 to 2003. He has been a supervisory board member of the power company SEV since 1973 and was its director from 1993 to 1997.

In politics, Mortensen became a member of the Tórshavn municipal council in 1973. He served as deputy mayor from 2001 to 2005 before becoming mayor. He was a member of the Union Party from 1988 to 2004. As a member of the Union Party, Mortensen was also active in politics at the national level. He intermittently participated in the Faroese Parliament as a deputy representative from 1989 to 1991 and in 1993. He later served in the Faroese Parliament as a representative from the South Streymoy (Faroese: Suðurstreymoy) district from 1998 to 2004. He became a deputy representative again in 2008, but this time for the Social Democratic Party. In 2015 he was elected to the Faroese Parliament as a member of the Social Democratic Party.

Mortensen has received numerous Nordic honors for his involvement in sports. He was named a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1991, and a knight 1st class of the same order in 2003.

Mortensen is a supporter of whaling in the Faroe Islands.[4][5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tórshavnar býráð 2021 - 2024". Tórshavnar kommuna (in Faroese). September 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Abdolmajid, Sasha. 2014. Op-Ed: From the Faroese Perspective – The Pilot Whale Hunt. Digital Journal.
  3. ^ ISF.fo, Forsetar (presidenter)
  4. ^ O'Barry, Helene Hesselager. 2013. Heart of Darkness. Earth Island Journal.
  5. ^ Joensen, Jóan Pauli. 2009. Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands: History, Ethnography, Symbol. Tórshavn: Fróðskapur / Faroe University Press, p. 14.