A referendum on creating a
state monopoly
In economics, a government monopoly or public monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly in which a government agency or government corporation is the sole provider of a particular good or service and competition is prohibited by law. It is a monopoly ...
on alcoholic beverages was held in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
on 8 November 1973. The proposal was rejected by 62% of voters, equating to 37.7% of registered voters, above the 33%
quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...
required for rejection.
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
was eventually lifted in 1992.
Background
In 1907 the
Løgting
The Løgting (pronounced ; ) is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.
The name literally means "''Law Thing''"—that is, a law assembly—and derives from Old Norse ''lǫgþing ...
voted to hold a
consultative referendum on banning alcoholic drinks. The result was a strong "yes" vote, with over 95% of voters voting for prohibition.
Faroes, 6 November 1907: Trading of Spirits
Direct Democracy As a result, a ban on the serving and trade in beverages with an alcoholic content above 2% was introduced the following year.
Results
References
{{Faroese elections
1973 referendums
1973 in the Faroe Islands
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
Prohibition referendums
November 1973 in Europe