Marita Petersen

Marita Petersen ( born October 21, 1940 in Vágur, Faroe Islands, † August 26 2001 in Tórshavn ) was a Faroese politician and educator of the Social Democrats ( Javnaðarflokkurin ), she was the first woman Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands ( 1993-1994). The first time in the history of the Faroe Islands there was with Queen Margrethe II both a woman as head of state, as well as with Marita Petersen a woman as head of government.

Family

Marita was the daughter of a teacher couple Sámal Johansen from Haldarsvík (1899-1991) and Anna Elisabeth Matras Viðareiði ( 1904-88 ). On October 17, 1962, she married the lawyer Kári Dalsgaard Petersen ( born January 11, 1936 in Velbastaður ) whose both parents were teachers. Together they had the sons of Atli (1963 ), University (1965) and Bui (1970).

She came from a family with strong cultural and political traditions. Both parents were elementary school teachers. The father was politically active and her two brothers were local politicians.

Teacher

Marita Petersen 1964 made himself their teacher exam at the seminary Hellerup in Denmark and 1980 additional training as a cand päd. psych. at Danmarks Lærerhøjskole.

Until 1989, she taught as an elementary school teacher until she was teaching in the Head of Provincial School Directorate ( Landsskúlafyrisitingin ). In 1998 she became head of the Sernámsmiðdepilin ( Special Education Center ). 1980-1984 she was Chair of the Association of Teachers of the Faroe Islands ( Føroya Lærarafelag )

Løgmaður

Marita Petersen was the first woman who made it to the top of Faroese politics, ie In 1993, the first female Løgmaður (Chief of the autonomous government ) was. Early on, she developed a political consciousness and was for 30 years a member of the Social Democrats, as they for the first time, was elected in 1988, Løgting the Parliament of the Faroe Islands. 1990-1993 she was Culture and Education Minister in the Government of the Faroe Islands. In this role, she advocated for vocational training reform. She spoke out in favor of training centers where various training leaves are merged into a larger multidisciplinary environment.

Another major reform, which they anschob was the liberalization of the Faroese alcohol legislation, which was the hardest of the Western world. Since then, Faroese beer can buy in any supermarket and kiosk and harder alcohol in state stores. Also Fully licensed for restaurants and events were now possible.

1993-1994 was Marita Petersen Løgmaður, and these were also very turbulent years in the history of the Faroe Islands, collapsed in both the financial sector and the labor market. Dramatic unemployment, foreclosures and mass emigration translated to the Faroe Islands.

In this period, Marita Petersen was a tough negotiation with the Head of Danske Bank, to prevent an economic collapse of the Faroe Islands. Finally, the Faroese State Government bought the shares in Danske Bank at the Føroya Banki, who had previously triggered the banking crisis of the Faroe Islands. Denmark was the only creditor of the Faroe Islands, but in return demanded a restructuring and monopolization of the fishing industry, which reduced the number of fish factories drastically. Fishing quotas were introduced.

To prevent mass layoffs and the collapse of the public employment sector of the Faroe Islands, they negotiated with the employees of a reduction in salary. As head of government put great emphasis on the coordination of the administration, the Government and the Parliament, and she was in negotiations with Denmark on the reorganization of the autonomy of the Faroe Islands in the direction of more independence.

Party chairman

1993 Marita Petersen was also chairman of the Social Democratic Party. Internally, she worked for democratization and a new party program. She cared for the activation of female members and the creation of a women's network, which they could use as a Minister and Løgmaður. She was an active campaigner for an Equality Act, which was adopted in 1994.

After the parliamentary elections in the same year, she led the coalition negotiations. Although the Social Democrats came in with the government, but did not get the top job, whereupon Marita Petersen retired to work as a simple deputy. So she broke nevertheless a party tradition, after the chairman of the regional government always heard (if the party is part of the government ). Instead, she became the first female leader of parliament in the history of the Faroe Islands.

Retreat

In 1995 there were in the party executive elections the Social Democrats a fighting candidacy against them. She won, ran in 1996 but did not seek re-election as party chairman. She ran in 1998 no longer for the Løgting, but took care to prefer the Special Education Centre, whose director, she has just been.

The fact that she did a man's job as a woman and the Faroe Islands resulted from one of the biggest crises in its history, she earned great respect.

Swell

Dansk Kvindebiografisk leksikon ( the German translation of the article of Eyðgunn Samuelsen is the basis of this article)

Comments

Politicians ( Faroe Islands )
Prime Minister ( Faroe Islands )
Faroese
Born in 1940
Died in 2001
Woman

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