2005 Liechtenstein general election

General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 13 March 2005 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag.^[1] The Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) remained the largest party in the Landtag but lost its majority, winning twelve seats, with the Patriotic Union (VU) winning ten. The Free List (FL) won three seats. Voter turnout was 86.5%.^[2]

Incumbent prime minister Otmar Hasler of the FBP sought re-election for a second term, while the VU nominated Bernd Hammermann for the position. Following the elections, the FBP and VU were asked to form a coalition government, which had previously ended in 1997, ultimately under the leadership of Hasler. The new government was sworn in on 21 April 2005. The election is the first FBP-led government to be re-elected since the 1966 elections.

In the 2001 elections the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) gained a majority of thirteen seats, whereas the Patriotic Union (VU) won eleven seats, and the Free List won one seat.^[3] The VU subsequently moved into the opposition and the FBP formed a single-party ultimately under the leadership of Hasler.^[4]

Hasler's term in office oversaw the ending of the 1999–2001 financial crisis and reforms to Liechtenstein's financial centre to adhere to international standards.^[4] His term was also marked by the 2003 constitutional referendum, where it was proposed that the reigning prince Hans-Adam II be given wider powers to appoint judges and rights to dismiss the government and Landtag.^[5][6] Hasler supported the proposed changes, and they were ultimately accepted by voters.^[4][7] Hans-Adam II had threatened to leave the country and live in Austria should the changes not have been accepted.^[7]

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. The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.^[8] Landtag members sit for a four-year term. Once formed, the Landtag elects the prime minister and four government councillors who govern in a cabinet.^[9] Voting is compulsory by law. Polling stations are open only for one and a half hours on election day; the elections were first where voting could be carried out by post.^[5][8] Citizens over 18 years of age who have been a resident in the country for one month prior to election day are eligible to vote.^[8]

Hasler was expected to seek a second term and was renominated by the FBP on 19 November 2004. Additionally, the FBP nominated Martin Meyer and incumbent deputy prime minister Rita Kieber-Beck as government candidates.^[10] The party aimed to maintain its majority in the Landtag and stated that it was open to the formation of a coalition government.^[11][12] The party campaigned on maintaining the current course of Hasler's government.^[13]

The VU nominated Bernd Hammermann, a journalist from Schellenberg, for prime minister on 18 October 2004. Additionally, the party nominated Maja Marxer-Schädler and Klaus Tschütscher as government candidates.^[14][15] The party stated that it was open to the formation of a coalition government;^[5] it campaigned broadly on a people-focused economy and investing in education.^[16]

Major issues of the election were unemployment, reform of vocational education, and welfare.^[5][17] In a debate on 26 February 2005, Hammermann criticized Hasler's government for acting inconsistently and not reforming enough, focusing on shortcomings in healthcare and social policy, stating that Liechtenstein needed to "change". On the other hand, Hasler focused on his achievements in office and criticized Hammermann for a lack of political experience.^[17]

The Free List presented its Landtag candidates in December 2004;^[18] the party stated that it was open to the formation of a coalition government, but the FBP and VU rejected this.^[5][19] The party campaigned on allowing for foreigners to be naturalized in Liechtenstein after 15 years of residency rather than 30 and opposed the raising of insurance premiums.^[5][20]

A total of 60 candidates stood in the election; 41 men and 19 women.^[18]

The FBP received 48.8% of the vote, a 1.1% decrease from their 2001 performance, and won twelve seats in the Landtag, a decrease of one. The VU received 38.2% of the vote, a 3.4% decrease from 2001, and won ten seats, a decrease of one. The Free List saw its vote share increase from 9.7% to 13% from 2001 and won three seats, an increase of two.^[1]

A total of 15,070 ballots were cast, resulting in a 86.5% voter turnout.^[1]

Following the election, the FBP invited the VU to begin negotiations for a renewed coalition government, which the VU accepted.^[22][23] In late March, Hammermann resigned as a government candidate, and in early April the VU leadership removed Marxer-Schädler as a government candidate; the latter of which drew criticism as a “slap in the face” for women in Liechtenstein politics.^[24][25][26] Instead, the party nominated Hugo Quaderer for government, and as such he resigned his seat in the Landtag.^[27][28] The FBP and VU entered into a renewed coalition government ultimately under the leadership of Hasler. As the junior party in the coalition, Tschütscher became deputy prime minister. The new government was sworn in on 21 April 2005.^[29]

It was postulated by Wilfried Marxer of the Liechtenstein Institute that the success of the FBP came from Hasler being a significantly more popular candidate than Hammermann. He also concluded that the 2003 constitutional referendum had a minimal effect on voting behaviour, with voter partisanship remaining largely unchanged from the 2001 elections regardless of whether one supported their party's stance on the referendum or not.^[30]

• Elections in Liechtenstein
• List of Liechtenstein general elections

• Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Nomos. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
• Marxer, Wilfried (2005). Einflüsse der Verfassungsabstimmung auf die Landtagswahlen 2005 – Thesen, Befunde, Interpretationen (PDF) (in German). Liechtenstein-Institut.