By Wilfried Marxer (Liechtenstein Institute)

Parliamentary elections were held in Liechtenstein last Sunday, 9 February 2025. The election Sunday ended very differently for the two traditionally dominant parties, which have been in office in a joint governing coalition almost without interruption for decades: the Vaterländische Union (Patriotic Union; VU), as the majority party in government, made slight gains (+ 2.4 %), while the Fortschrittliche Bürgerpartei (Progressive Citizens’ Party; FBP), as the minority party in government, lost 8.4 %. The Demokraten pro Liechtenstein (Democrats for Liechtenstein; DpL) were the big winners of the election, increasing their vote by 12.2 %, while the fourth party in the running, the Freie Liste (Free List; FL), lost 2 %. VU and FBP can be characterised as centrist people’s parties, FL as a green party and DpL as an elite-critical, right-wing party.

Parliamentary elections and government elections
The Landtag (parliament) consists of 25 members. The polls are open in the eleven municipalities on the morning of election Sunday, but almost everyone votes by post and therefore casts their vote up to two weeks before election Sunday. 96.6 % made use of this option in the 2025 elections.
The parliamentary election also indirectly decides on the formation of the government, as the parliament proposes a new government (head of government and four other members of government) by majority vote. Ultimately, the Prince of Liechtenstein has the right of appointment. Parties that have ambitions to join the government present candidate proposals for the government during the election campaign. Prior to the 2025 elections, the incumbent head of government was no longer available and three of the four other members of government did not want another term in office either. Of the 25 previous members of parliament, 15 stood for re-election – the long-term average for standing for re-election is around 50 per cent.

Restrictive voting rights and high voter turnout
In the current elections, 21,183 people were eligible to vote: these are people aged 18 and over with Liechtenstein citizenship and residence in Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein citizens resident abroad and foreigners resident in Liechtenstein are therefore not entitled to vote. As the proportion of foreigners in Liechtenstein is around one third, around half of Liechtenstein residents are excluded from voting.
Parliamentary elections traditionally have a high voter turnout. Until the 1970s, it was still over 90 per cent. With a slight downward trend, the 2025 elections again show a relatively high voter turnout of 76.3 %, compared to other countries.

8% threshold as a significant hurdle for small parties
Elections are held in two constituencies, with the Oberland (Upper Land) having 15 MPs and the Unterland (Lower Land) 10 MPs. Only parties that achieve at least 8 per cent of the vote nationwide are eligible for seats. This threshold makes it difficult for small parties to enter parliament. It also explains why there were never more than two parties – VU and FBP – represented in parliament until 1993. The four parliamentary parties in the 2021 to 2025 term of office are already a sign of a moderate fragmentation of the party system in Liechtenstein.
The allocation of seats is based on the proportional representation system, separated into the two constituencies. Voters must choose a ballot paper, but can cross out individual candidates and add candidates from other parties. One ballot paper corresponds to 15 votes (Oberland) or 10 votes (Unterland), whereby cancelling out does not mean a loss of votes for the party, but the addition of candidates from other parties is associated with a corresponding transfer of votes. The analysis of the ballot papers shows that the electoral lists are increasingly being altered, which indicates a weakening of party ties. About 60 % of the voters made changes to the ballot paper in the 2025 elections.

Traditional parties versus newer parties
Due to family party ties and tradition, for a long time it was possible in Liechtenstein to assume with a high degree of probability whether someone would lean towards the FBP, founded in 1918, or the other traditional party, the VU. Both were not only the only parties to win seats in parliament until 1993, but also usually governed in a joint coalition. From 1997 to 2001, the VU governed alone as an exception, and from 2005 to 2009, the FBP governed alone – since then, they have once again governed in a coalition. The stronger of the two parties provides the head of government and two other members of government, while the weaker party provides two members of government.
The opposition FL has also been represented in parliament with a few seats since 1993, and the new party Die Unabhängigen (The Independents; DU) was also represented in parliament in 2013 and 2017. After splitting, however, DU failed in 2021, while the split-off DpL won two seats.
The VU and FBP contested the current elections in 2025 with full lists in the Oberland and Unterland. DpL and FL nominated six candidates each in the Oberland, while DpL put forward four candidates in the Unterland and FL three. This shows that the parties are finding it difficult to motivate people to stand as candidates. In the past, VU and FBP did not always manage to present full lists either.

Election result 2025 – a minor sensation
The election result of 2025 is something of a minor sensation. Of the two governing parties, the FBP suffered a massive loss of votes and seats. Its share of the vote fell from 35.9 % to 27.5 % and its number of seats from 10 to 7. In contrast, the VU was able to slightly increase its share of the vote from 35.9 % (2021 like the FBP) to 38.3 % and, as in 2021, won 10 seats. The FBP’s loss of votes contrasts with an even greater gain in votes for the DpL, which increased from 11.1 % to 23.3 % and from 2 to 6 seats. Not only did many votes from former FBP voters go to the DpL, but also votes that went to DU in 2021, which was no longer a candidate in 2025. FL dropped from 12.9 to 10.9 % – still above the threshold – and the number of seats fell from 3 to 2.

Shifting power in parliament
With the strengthening of the conservative DpL, parliament is experiencing a moderate shift to the right, although part of the increase is at the expense of the FBP, which also had a more conservative profile before the elections. It ran with 68-year-old government leader candidate Ernst Walch, a former Speaker of Parliament (1993) and Foreign Minister (2001-2005). This was intended to symbolise tradition and experience, but the candidate’s eccentric appearance did not go down well with the public. The VU proposed Brigitte Haas, the current managing director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as its candidate for the highest government office. The FL did not put forward any members of the government, while DpL proposed two candidates for the government, who ran for parliament at the same time and were elected as MPs.
The composition of the state parliament has changed significantly. Although incumbent MPs generally have a very good chance of being re-elected, 5 incumbents were not confirmed. The number of women in parliament increased from 7 to 8, i.e. to 32%. The new distribution of seats is as follows: 10 seats for the VU (as before), 7 seats for the FBP (-3), 6 seats for the DpL (+4), 2 seats for FL (-1).

Continue with the current coalition?
Before the elections, the VU prioritised the continuation of the governing coalition between the VU and FBP, with the stronger of the two parties taking the leading role. However, the FBP showed interest and willingness to seek dialogue with all parties, especially the DpL. This could also have led to an FBP-DpL coalition, even if the VU was the party with the largest mandate. The election result would actually make such a coalition mathematically possible, as the FBP and DpL achieved 13 seats together. However, it is hardly conceivable that the VU, with its 10 seats as the strongest party, would not take on government responsibility. This would be diametrically opposed to Liechtenstein’s consensus-orientated political culture. Initial statements on election night also indicate that the leading role for the 2025 to 2029 mandate period will go to the VU. A VU-led government can therefore be expected, which will include at least one other party. Following the conclusion of the coalition negotiations, Brigitte Haas is therefore highly likely to become the new head of government – the first woman to hold this office in Liechtenstein.
We are eagerly awaiting the analysis of the election survey conducted by the Liechtenstein Institute for all elections since 1997. This will provide further information on voting behaviour, voter flows, preferred government constellations and many other aspects.

Photo source: https://landtagswahlen.li/resultat/16