2017 Liechtenstein general election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox legislative election
| country = Liechtenstein
| previous_election = 2013
| election_date = 5 February 2017
| next_election = 2021
| seats_for_election = All 25 seats in the Landtag
| majority_seats = 13
| turnout = 77.82% ({{decrease}} 1.98pp)
| leader1 = Adrian Hasler
| party1 = Progressive Citizens' Party
| last_election1 = 10
| seats1 = 9
| percentage1 = 35.24
| leader2 = Thomas Zwiefelhofer
| party2 = Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein)
| last_election2 = 8
| seats2 = 8
| percentage2 = 33.73
| leader4 = Harry Quaderer
| party4 = The Independents (Liechtenstein)
| last_election4 = 4
| seats4 = 5
| percentage4 = 18.41
| leader5 = Ecki Hermann
| party5 = Free List (Liechtenstein)
| last_election5 = 3
| seats5 = 3
| percentage5 = 12.62
| title = Prime Minister
| before_election = Adrian Hasler
| before_party = Progressive Citizens' Party
| after_election = Adrian Hasler
| after_party = Progressive Citizens' Party
| map = 2017 Liechtenstein general election - Results by constituency.svg
| map_caption = Results by constituency
}}{{Politics of Liechtenstein}}
General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 5 February 2017 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag.{{Cite web |title=Landtagswahlen 2017 - Ergebnisse |url=https://www.landtagswahlen.li/resultat/10 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=www.landtagswahlen.li |language=de}} The Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) won nine seats, with the Patriotic Union (VU) winning eight. The Independents (DU) and Free List (FL) won five and three seats respectively. Voter turnout was 77.8%.
Background
{{Main article|2013 Liechtenstein general election}}
In the 2013 elections the Progressive Citizens' Party lost one seat, and the Patriotic Union lost five seats while The Independents gained four seats, and the Free List gained two seats. This was the first time in Liechtenstein's history that four parties held seats in the Landtag.{{Cite news |title=2013 election |work=Inter-Parliamentary Union |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2187_13.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200811170025/http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2187_13.htm |archive-date=11 August 2020 |access-date=11 August 2020 }}{{Cite news |title=New Independent party rattles Liechtenstein vote |work=GlobalPost |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130203/new-independent-party-rattles-liechtenstein-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160721203324/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130203/new-independent-party-rattles-liechtenstein-vote |archive-date=21 July 2016 |access-date=29 December 2016 }}
Electoral system
{{Main article|Elections in Liechtenstein}}
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 they do not wish to cast a preferential vote for and may add names of candidates from other lists.{{cite web |title=Principality of Liechtenstein: Parliamentary Elections 7 February 2021 |url=https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/a/f/473469.pdf |access-date=9 February 2021 |website=Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights |publisher=OSCE}} The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.[https://archive.today/20130221002007/https://www.gesetze.li/get_lgbl_from_menue_if.jsp?LGBlm=1973050%23art:55 Article 55 (1) of the Volksrechtegesetz (Law of People's Rights)] Gesetze.li Landtag members sit four year terms. Once formed the Landtag votes to elect a prime minister who governs through a cabinet of four ministers, who are selected from Landtag members.{{cite news |date=8 February 2021 |title=Liechtenstein election: Just 23 ballots separate two biggest parties |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/02/08/liechtenstein-election-just-23-ballots-separate-two-biggest-parties-that-will-now-form-coa |access-date=9 February 2021 |work=Euronews |language=en}} Voting is compulsory by law and most is carried out by post. Polling stations are only open 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.
Campaign
Incumbent prime minister Adrian Hasler was expected to seek a second term, and was re-nominated by Progressive Citizens' Party on 18 August 2016.{{Cite news |date=18 August 2016 |title=Keine Überraschung bei der FBP |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/keine-ueberraschung-bei-der-fbp-art-219485 |access-date=29 November 2024 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}} The Patriotic Union re-nominated incumbent deputy prime minister Thomas Zwiefelhofer for prime minister on 17 June 2016.{{Cite news |date=17 June 2016 |title=VU präsentiert Regierungsteam für Wahlen 2017 |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/vu-praesentiert-regierungsteam-fuer-wahlen-2017-art-209601 |access-date=29 November 2024 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}} According to polling, The Independents, led by Harry Quaderer, were expected to perform well, perhaps receiving up to 20% of the vote.{{Cite news |date=14 June 2016 |title=Wahlen 2017: DU will 15 Prozent |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/wahlen-2017-du-will-15-prozent-art-208874 |access-date=29 November 2024 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}}
The election saw the highest number of candidates running in Liechtenstein's history with 71 candidates.{{Cite news |date=25 November 2016 |title=Landtagswahlen 2017: So viele Kandidaten wie noch nie |url=https://www.eliechtensteinensia.li/viewer/image/000476564_2016/6912/LOG_0273/ |work=Liechtensteiner Volksblatt |language=de}}
Candidates
| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="6" |Oberland !FBP !VU !DU |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Citizens' Party}}" |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein)}}" | | bgcolor="{{party color|The Independents (Liechtenstein)}}" | |
* Wendelin Lampert
|
|
|
| FL
| rowspan="3" | |
|---|
| bgcolor="{{party color|Free List (Liechtenstein)}}" | |
* Georg Kaufmann
|
| rowspan="6" |Unterland
!FBP !VU !DU |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Citizens' Party}}" |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein)}}" | | bgcolor="{{party color|The Independents (Liechtenstein)}}" | |
* Johannes Kaiser
|
|
|
| FL
| rowspan="3" | |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Free List (Liechtenstein)}}" | |
| * Patrick Risch |
| colspan="4" |Source: [https://www.landtagswahlen.li/kandidaten/10 Landtagswahl 2017] |
Results
The Progressive Citizens' Party lost one seat and the Independents gained one seat. Both the Patriotic Union and the Free List retained all their seats.{{Cite news |title=Liechtenstein populist party gains ground in parliamentary elections |work=DW News |url=https://www.dw.com/en/liechtenstein-populist-party-gains-ground-in-parliamentary-elections/a-37423147 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200811170346/https://www.dw.com/en/liechtenstein-populist-party-gains-ground-in-parliamentary-elections/a-37423147 |archive-date=11 August 2020 |access-date=11 August 2020 }} Voter turnout was 77.8%, down from 79.8% in 2013.{{Cite news |date=7 February 2017 |title=The 2017 elections in Liechtenstein: Slight changes and a stronger parliamentary opposition |url=https://whogoverns.eu/the-2017-elections-in-liechtenstein-slight-changes-and-a-stronger-parliamentary-opposition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200811170655/https://whogoverns.eu/the-2017-elections-in-liechtenstein-slight-changes-and-a-stronger-parliamentary-opposition/ |archive-date=11 August 2020 |access-date=11 August 2020 |work=Party Systems & Governments Observatory}}
{{Election results
|image=File:Landtag of Liechtenstein 2017.svg
|party1=Progressive Citizens' Party|votes1=68673|seats1=9|sc1=–1
|party2=Patriotic Union|votes2=65742|seats2=8|sc2=0
|party3=The Independents|votes3=35885|seats3=5|sc3=+1
|party4=Free List|votes4=24595|seats4=3|sc4=0
|total_sc=0
|valid=14768
|invalid=645
|electorate=19806
|source=[https://www.landtagswahlen.li/resultat/10 Landtagswahlen]
}}
=By electoral district=
{{See also|List of members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (2017–2021)}}
| class="wikitable"
!Electoral district !Seats !Electorate ! colspan="2" |Party !Candidates !Subsititutes !Votes !% !Swing !Seats won !+/– |
| rowspan="4" |Oberland
| rowspan="4" |15 | rowspan="4" |12,814 | bgcolor="{{party color|Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein)}}" | |Christoph Wenaweser |Rainer Beck |48,789 |34.4 |{{Decrease}} 0.2 |5 |0 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Citizens' Party}}" |
|Wendelin Lampert |Michael Ospelt |47,747 |33.7 |{{Decrease}} 5.6 |5 |{{Decrease}} 1 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|The Independents (Liechtenstein)}}" |
|Harry Quaderer |Ado Vogt |26,452 |18.6 |{{Increase}} 3.9 |3 |{{Increase}} 1 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Free List (Liechtenstein)}}" |
|Helen Konzett Bargetze |18,882 |11.8 |{{Increase}} 2.1 |2 |0 |
| colspan="12" | |
|---|
| rowspan="4" |Unterland
| rowspan="4" |10 | rowspan="4" |6,992 | bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Citizens' Party}}" | |Johannes Kaiser |20,941 |39.4 |{{Decrease}} 2.5 |4 |0 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein)}}" |
|Violanda Lanter-Koller |16,995 |32.0 |{{Increase}} 1.1 |3 |0 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|The Independents (Liechtenstein)}}" |
|Peter Wachter |9,449 |17.8 |{{Increase}} 1.0 |2 |0 |
| bgcolor="{{party color|Free List (Liechtenstein)}}" |
|5,715 |10.8 |{{Increase}} 0.4 |1 |0 |
| colspan="12" | |
| colspan="12" |Source: [https://www.landtagswahlen.li/resultat/10 Landtagswahlen 2017] |
{{notelist}}