2021 Liechtenstein general election
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7 February 2021
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All 25 seats in the Landtag 13 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 78.01% ( 0.19pp) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 7 February 2021 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag.[1] The Patriotic Union (VU) and Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) both won ten seats, with the VU receiving just 42 votes more than the FBP. The Independents (DU), which finished third in the 2017 elections but then suffered a split in 2018 when three of its five MPs broke away to form Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL), failed to win a seat, while DpL won two. The Free List retained its three seats, becoming the third-largest party in the Landtag. Voter turnout was 78%.
Incumbent prime minister Adrian Hasler did not run for re-election. The FBP nominated Sabine Monauni for prime minister, being the first woman nominated for the position, while the VU nominated Daniel Risch for the position. Following the elections, the VU and FBP formed a renewed coalition government, ultimately under the leadership of Risch. The new government was sworn in on 25 March 2021.
Background
[edit]In the 2017 Liechtenstein general election, the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) won a plurality of nine seats, with the Patriotic Union (VU) winning eight.[2] As a result, the two parties formed a coalition government, with Adrian Hasler continuing as prime minister.[3] The Independents (DU) and Free List won five and three seats respectively.[2]
In August 2018, the DU suffered a split when Landtag member Erich Hasler was expelled from the party due to conflicts with party leader Harry Quaderer, leading to fellow members Thomas Rehak and Herbert Elkuch leaving the party and forming the Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL).[4] This left the DU with two remaining seats in the Landtag.[5]
Hasler's second term was marked by regulation of digital business models in the financial centre.[6] Due to public attacks between Hasler and Landtag member Johannes Kaiser in 2018, Kaiser left the FBP and left the two parties with an equal amount of seats in the Landtag until he re-joined the party the following year.[7][8][9] In July 2019, government councillor Aurelia Frick was subject to a successful motion of no confidence and removed from office due to an embezzlement scandal.[10]
Johannes Hasler of the FBP resigned from the Landtag in October 2019 in order to focus on his duties as mayor of Gamprin, and was succeeded by Alexander Batliner.[11][12]
Landtag members not running for re-election
[edit]Electoral system
[edit]The 25 members of the Landtag are elected by open list proportional representation from two constituencies, Oberland with 15 seats and Unterland with 10 seats. Voters vote for a party list and then may strike through candidates for whom they do not wish to cast a preferential vote, and may add names of candidates from other lists.[14] The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.[15] Landtag members sit for a four-year term.[14] Once formed, the Landtag elects the prime minister and four government councillors who govern in a cabinet.[16] Voting is compulsory by law and most is carried out by post. Polling stations are open only for one and a half hours on election day. Citizens over 18 years of age who have been resident in the country for one month prior to election day are eligible to vote.[14]
Campaign
[edit]Main parties
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In a press conference on 27 May 2020, Adrian Hasler declared his intention to not seek re-election.[17] The FBP nominated Sabine Monauni, the Liechtenstein ambassador to the European Union, for prime minister on 18 August 2020, being the first woman nominated for the position in Liechtenstein's history. Additionally, the party nominated incumbent government councillor Katrin Eggenberger and deputy government councillor Manuel Frick as government candidates.[18][19] The FBP's programme included policies such as faster digitalization, traffic calming, and promoting renewable energy.[20]
The VU nominated incumbent deputy prime minister Daniel Risch for prime minister on 10 September 2020. Additionally, the party nominated incumbent government councillor Dominique Hasler and lawyer Graziella Marok-Wachter as government candidates.[21] In an interview in December, Risch stated that he would not be a part of the next government should the party lose the election.[22] The VU's programme included policies such as building schools, implementing Mobility 2030, and climate protection.[20]
The election was seen as a two-horse race; there were only marginal policy differences between the VU and FBP.[23][24] The newspaper Liechtensteiner Vaterland described the run-up to the election as "lacklustre" and with "no controversial issues".[25] VU party president Günther Fritz stated that a coalition with the FBP was "very likely" should the VU win the election.[26]
Opposition parties
[edit]Commentators expected the DU, which had received 18.4% of the vote in 2017, to perform poorly in the election, perhaps failing to meet the electoral threshold.[24] The party's two remaining Landtag members, party leader Harry Quaderer and Jürgen Beck, announced their intention to not seek re-election in October 2020.[27][28] On the other hand, the DpL was expected to achieve better results, perhaps as high as 20%.[24] In October 2020, following Quaderer's withdrawal as a candidate, DpL president Thomas Rehak stated that a joint list between the DU and DpL was "quite obvious".[29] Similarly, deputy member of the Landtag Ado Vogt, belonging to the DU, said "never say never" in regards to reconciliation with the DpL, but ultimately aiming for the party to run its own list.[27] Both the DU and DpL's programmes included giving priority to Liechtensteiners to jobs in the national administration. Furthermore, the DpL's programme included policies such as placing greater restrictions on naturalizing in Liechtenstein and for the members of government being directly elected.[20]
The Free List had been in political dispute since 2019 when Landtag member Thomas Lageder, belonging to the party, voted in favour of the motion of no confidence against Aurelia Frick, against the wishes of party leaders Conny Büchel Brühwiler and Pepo Frick. The conflict remerged in late 2020 when Lageder threatened to withdraw his candidacy in the election. In addition, three party board members also threatened to resign and two other Landtag candidates announced that they would also renounce their candidacy should Lageder do so.[30] Ultimately, the two sides came to an agreement and the Free List presented its candidates on 19 November, including Lageder.[31] The party had previously ruled out cooperation with the DpL.[32] The Free List's programme included policies such as greater transition to green energy, voting rights for Liechtensteiners living abroad in addition to allowing dual citizenship, and improving economic prospects for artists.[20]
Procedure
[edit]Election campaigning is largely unregulated and carried out via social media, newspapers and broadcast media. All parties are permitted to post an official campaign video on the websites of the two main newspapers in the country. The elections are the first to be carried out under the 2019 Law on Payment of Contributions to Political Parties which limited public funding to registered political parties, banned large anonymous donations and required the publication of accounts by parties.[14]
Candidates
[edit]Candidates have the same eligibility criteria as voters. Political parties must have the support of 30 voters from a constituency to be eligible to nominate a candidate list in it.[14] The deadline for presenting Landtag candidates was set for 4 December 2020.[33] It was reported that parties experienced difficulty finding candidates due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[34]
| Oberland | FBP | VU | FL |
|---|---|---|---|
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| DU | DpL | ||
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| Unterland | FBP | VU | FL |
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| DU | DpL | ||
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| Source: Landtagswahl 2021[1] | |||
Results
[edit]The VU and FBP both received 35.9% of the vote. The result was close between the top two parties with the VU initially reported to have received just 23 votes more than the FBP; in later results, the gap was marginally wider at 42 votes.[35][23][36] The FBP result was a slight improvement on their 2017 performance when they received 35.2% of the vote, while the VU increased their vote share from 33.7%. Both the VU and FBP won ten seats, an increase from eight and nine respectively.[35][37] The Free List received 12.9% of the vote, a moderate increase from their 12.7% in 2017, and kept their representation at three seats which made them the third-largest party in the Landtag. The new party, Democrats for Liechtenstein received 11.1% of the vote and won two seats.[35][37]
A total of 15,901 ballots were cast, resulting in a 78% voter turnout. The vast majority (97%) of ballots were cast by post.[35] The results were described by local media as some of the most exciting in recent history.[38]
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Patriotic Union | 72,361 | 35.89 | 10 | +2 | |
| Progressive Citizens' Party | 72,319 | 35.87 | 10 | +1 | |
| Free List | 25,943 | 12.87 | 3 | 0 | |
| Democrats for Liechtenstein | 22,456 | 11.14 | 2 | New | |
| The Independents | 8,556 | 4.24 | 0 | –5 | |
| Total | 201,635 | 100.00 | 25 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 15,284 | 96.12 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 617 | 3.88 | |||
| Total votes | 15,901 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 20,384 | 78.01 | |||
| Source: Landtagswahlen 2021 | |||||
By electoral district
[edit]| Electoral district | Seats | Electorate | Party | Elected members | Subsititutes | Votes | % | Swing | Seats won | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberland | 15 | 13,137 | Patriotic Union |
|
54,018 | 36.9 |  2.5 |
6 | 1 | ||
| Progressive Citizens' Party |
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50,844 | 34.7 | 1.1 |
6 | 1 | |||||
| Free List |
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20,026 | 13.7 | 0.4 |
2 | 0 | |||||
| Democrats for Liechtenstein |
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14,127 | 9.7 | New | 1 | New | |||||
| The Independents | – | – | 7,370 | 5.0 | 13.6 |
0 | 3 | ||||
| Unterland | 10 | 7,247 | Progressive Citizens' Party |
|
21,475 | 38.9 | 0.6 |
4 | 0 | ||
| Patriotic Union | 18,343 | 33.2 | 1.2 |
4 | 1 | ||||||
| Democrats for Liechtenstein | 8,329 | 15.1 | New | 1 | New | ||||||
| Free List | 5,715 | 10.7 | 0.1 |
1 | 0 | ||||||
| The Independents | – | – | 1,186 | 2.1 | 15.6 |
0 | 2 | ||||
| Source: Landtagswahlen 2021[1] | |||||||||||
Votes by candidate
[edit]Aftermath
[edit]
In the aftermath of the election, it was not immediately clear which party had won.[39] A recount was conducted the following day, but was delayed due to COVID-19 protection measures. It was ultimately determined on 9 February that the VU was the winner by a lead of 42 votes.[40] The VU invited the FBP to enter negotiations for the formation of a coalition government.[41] The Free List also stated that it was open to participation in government should coalition negotiations between the two parties fail.[42]
The VU and FBP entered into a renewed coalition government, ultimately under the leadership of Risch. As the junior party in the coalition, Monauni became deputy prime minister.[43] The FBP nominated Frick for government over Eggenberger, which caused controversy within the party due to her allegedly being promised a seat in government in July 2019 by party president Marcus Vogt.[44] Though supporters of Eggenberger attempted to block Frick's nomination at the party conference on 22 March, his nomination was ultimately upheld.[44][45] The new government was sworn in on 25 March.[46] As part of the coalition agreement, Albert Frick of the FBP remained as president of the Landtag.[47]
A poll published by the Liechtenstein Institute suggested that 35% of respondents who voted for the VU and FBP did so because of the party's respective government teams, the highest out of any factor. It also suggested that traditional party affiliation declined, as only 8% of respondents cited it as the reason for their vote.[48] Voters for the DpL and DU cited the respective Landtag candidates and opposition to Risch, whereas voters for the Free List cited the party's policies; the DU lost 85% of its votes from 2017, primarily to the DpL.[48][49]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Landtagswahlen 2021 – Ergebnisse" [2021 State Elections – Results]. www.landtagswahlen.li (in German). Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- 1 2 "Landtagswahlen 2017 – Ergebnisse" [2017 State Elections – Results]. www.landtagswahlen.li (in German). Archived from the original on 21 May 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ Meier, Günther (30 March 2017). "Landtag hat neue Regierung gewählt" [State parliament has elected a new government]. Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Archived from the original on 31 January 2026. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ↑ Marxer, Wilfred (10 March 2020). "Demokraten pro Liechtenstein (DpL)" [Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL)]. Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Archived from the original on 1 August 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ↑ Marxer, Wilfred (12 November 2018). "DU – Die Unabhängigen für Liechtenstein". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "Hasler, Adrian". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). 24 June 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ↑ ""Kein Anzeichen eines Konfliktes"". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ↑ "VU hält Koalitionsausschuss für überfällig". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 12 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ↑ "Johannes Kaiser kehrt zur FBP zurück". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ↑ Meier, Günther (2 July 2019). "Liechtensteiner Parlament entzieht Aussenministerin Frick das Vertrauen". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ↑ Franke, Holger (4 October 2019). "Rücktritt von Johannes Hasler als Abgeordneter". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 1. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ↑ Albrich, Sebastian (7 November 2019). "Alexander Batliner wird Abgeordneter - Norman Walch neuer FBP-Stellvertreter". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 6. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ↑ Vogt, Desiree (7 December 2020). "Landtag: "Viel zu oft ein Jahrmarkt der Eitelkeiten"". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Principality of Liechtenstein: Parliamentary Elections 7 February 2021" (PDF). Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. OSCE. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ↑ Article 55 (1) of the Volksrechtegesetz (Law of People's Rights)[link removed] Gesetze.li
- ↑ Vogt, Paul (31 December 2011). "Regierung". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ↑ "Für Adrian Hasler ist 2021 Schluss". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 27 March 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ↑ "FBP nominiert Sabine Monauni als Regierungschefkandidatin". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). 19 August 2020. p. 1. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ "FBP nominiert Sabine Monauni zur Regierungschefkandidatin". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 18 August 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Quaderer, Elias (11 January 2021). "Fünf Parteien – fünf Wahlprogramme" [Five parties – five election manifestos]. Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2026.
- ↑ "Hasler, Risch, Marok-Wachter: Das VU-Regierungsteam". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 10 September 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ Schädler, Patrik (22 December 2020). "Daniel Risch steht nur als Regierungschef zur Verfügung". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Liechtenstein election: Just 23 ballots separate two biggest parties". Euronews. 8 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- 1 2 3 Crowcroft, Orlando (7 February 2021). "In Liechtenstein, 38,378 of the world's wealthiest go to the polls". Euronews. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ↑ Schädler, Patrik (23 January 2021). ""Ich rechne mit einem knappen Wahlausgang"". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ "Daniel Risch: "Wir stehen nicht für Experimente"". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 13 September 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- 1 2 Sele, David (7 October 2020). "Versöhnung mit der DPL? Ado Vogt: ‹Sag niemals nie›". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ "DU-Abgeordnete Quaderer und Beck kandidieren nicht mehr". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 5 October 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Quaderer, Elias (9 October 2020). "«Listenverbindung liegt auf der Hand»". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Quaderer, Elias (9 March 2021). "Konflikt in der Freien Liste: Was wir bis jetzt wissen". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Beck, Heribert (20 November 2020). ""Mitjassen statt nur zuschauen": 12 Frauen und Männer für die Freie Liste". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Sele, David (22 October 2020). "DPL-Landtagskandidaten per Zeitungsinserat gesucht". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Fritz, Daniela (20 November 2020). "FBP, VU und FL haben nominiert: Frauenanteil bisher bei 37 Prozent". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ "Corona macht die Kandidatensuche nicht leichter". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 22 May 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Landtagswahlen 2021 – Ergebnisse". Principality of Liechtenstein. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ↑ "Archived copy of results page at 16:46 on 7 February 2021". Internet Archive. 7 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- 1 2 "Landtagswahlen 2017 – Ergebnisse". Principality of Liechtenstein.
- ↑ Daragahi, Borzou (8 February 2021). "Liechtenstein set to become latest country to appoint a woman leader". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ↑ Vogt, Desiree (8 February 2021). "Wer gratuliert wem? Viele Fragezeichen". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ Schädler, Patrik (9 February 2021). "VU ist Wahlsieger – Risch wird Regierungschef". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ Schädler, Patrik (9 February 2021). "Regierungskoalition soll schnell stehen". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ Quaderer, Elias (19 February 2021). "Freie Liste ist für Regierungsbeteiligung offen". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ↑ Matt, Hannes (20 March 2021). "Parteivorstände geben grünes Licht für neue Koalition von VU und FBP". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). p. 1. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- 1 2 Quaderer, Elias (22 March 2021). "Personalentscheid droht FBP zu zerreissen". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ Stahl-Frick, Bettina (30 March 2021). "Von der Chefkandidatin aufs Abstellgleis". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ↑ "New Government Sworn In". Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein in Washington D.C. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ↑ Quaderer, Elias (25 March 2021). "Knapp trotz Koalition: Die Wahl des Landtagspräsidenten" [A close call despite the coalition: The election of the state parliament president]. Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Archived from the original on 21 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 Schädler, Patrik (10 February 2021). "Spitzenkandidaten waren das Hauptwahlmotiv". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Quaderer, Elias (18 February 2021). "Fast die Hälfte der DU-Wähler wechselte zu den DpL". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 30 March 2026.