Liechtenstein: Government

Principal Government Officials

Chief of State: Prince Hans Adam II
Head of Government: Prime Minister Klaus Tschüetscher

According to the constitution, the government is a collegial body consisting of five ministers, including the prime minister. The prime minister and ministers are appointed by the Prince, following the proposals of the parliament.

Amendments to the constitution and new laws have to be adopted by parliament, signed by both the Prince and the prime minister, and published in the Principality's Law Gazette.

Prince Hans Adam II is the head of state. He is entitled to exercise his right to state leadership in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and of other laws. On August 15, 2004 Prince Hans Adam II entrusted Hereditary Prince Alois as his representative with the exercise of all sovereign rights pertaining to him, in accordance with the Liechtenstein constitution.

He represents the state vis-a-vis foreign states. He signs international treaties either in person or delegates this function to a plenipotentiary. In accordance with international law, some treaties only become valid when they have been ratified by the parliament.

The Prince's involvement in legislation includes the right to take initiatives in the form of government bills and the right to veto parliamentary proposals.

The Prince has the power to enact princely decrees. Emergency princely decrees are possible when the security and welfare of the country is at stake. A countersignature by the prime minister is required.

The Prince has the right to convene and adjourn parliament and, for serious reasons, to adjourn it for 3 months or to dissolve it.

The Prince nominates the government, district and high court judges, the judges of the Supreme Court, and the presidents and their deputies of the Constitutional Court and of the Administrative Court of Appeal on the basis of the names put forward by the parliament.

The Prince's other authorities include mitigating and commuting punishments that have been imposed with legal force and the abolition--i.e. the dismissal--of investigations that have been initiated. All judgments are issued in the name of the Prince.

Citizens elect the parliament directly under a system of proportional representation. Until 1989, 15 members represented the population of the two constituencies (6 for the lowland area and 9 for the highland area). Since 1989 the lowland constituency has been entitled to have 10 members and the highland area 15 members.

The duties and working procedures of the parliament are laid down in the constitution and in the parliament's standing orders. The parliament's main task is to discuss and adopt resolutions on constitutional proposals and draft government bills. It has the additional duties of giving its assent to important international treaties, of electing members of the government, judges and board members of the Principality's institutions, setting the annual budget and approving taxes and other public charges, and supervising the administration of the state.

The parliament observes its rights and duties in the course of sessions of the whole parliament and through the parliamentary commissions that it elects. All members of parliament exercise their mandates in addition to their normal professions or occupations. The president of parliament and his deputy are both elected at the opening meeting for the current year. The president convenes the individual meetings during the session, leads them, and represents the parliament externally. Parliament meets eight to ten times each year for a duration of 1 to 3 days depending on the agenda.

During the parliamentary recess--normally from January to February/March--a "state committee" assumes the parliament's duties, and such a committee must also be elected in the case of any adjournment or dissolution of parliament. A "state committee" consists of the president of parliament and four other members.

Under the Liechtenstein constitution, voters can call for a legislative referendum to oppose a parliamentary decision if they succeed in collecting 1,000 signatures. This threshold is increased to 1,500 signatures in cases of constitutional amendments and international treaties.

POLITICAL CONDITIONS
In the February 8, 2009 parliamentary elections, the Patriotic Union (Vaterlandische Union, VU) won an absolute majority in parliament and thereby a mandate to form the government. With a voter turnout of 84.6%, the VU obtained 47.6% of the vote (9.4% greater than 2005), giving it 13 seats in the 25-member parliament. The Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) obtained 11 seats in parliament, with 43.5% of the votes (5.2% less than 2005). A third party, the Free List, received 8.9% of the votes (down 4.1% from 2005) and one seat in the parliament. Following the elections, the VU offered to enter into a coalition with the FBP, which had led the government previously in a coalition with the VU. The VU and FBP subsequently agreed to form a coalition government in which the VU holds the prime ministership and two additional cabinet seats, and the FBP holds two cabinet seats, including the deputy prime ministership. On March 25, 2009 Klaus Tschutscher (VU) was confirmed as the new Prime Minister, succeeding Otmar Hasler (FBP).

There are 6 women in the 25-seat parliament and 2 in the 5-member cabinet. Women first gained the right to vote in Liechtenstein in 1984 and a growing number of women are active in politics. Women serve on the executive committees of the major parties.

According to Prime Minister Klaus Tschutscher, the most important tasks of the government under his leadership would be the revision of the 2009 budget with adjustments for the financial and economic crisis, entry into force of a tax act compatible with European norms, and measures to dampen the recession and to secure jobs.

DEFENSE AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
Liechtenstein became a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) predecessor in 1975, the Council of Europe in 1978, the UN in 1990, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991, and both the European Economic Area (EEA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.

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