Thomas Rehak
{{Infobox politician
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|01|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Triesen, Liechtenstein
| party = Democrats for Liechtenstein
| profession = Telecommunications engineer
| children = 1
| spouse = {{marriage|Michaela Beck|2002|}}
| otherparty = The Independents (2013–2018)
| office2 = Member of the Landtag of Liechtenstein for Oberland
| term_start2 = 5 February 2017
| office = Leader of the Democrats for Liechtenstein
| predecessor = Position established
| term_start = 21 September 2018
| image = Thomas Rehak (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rehak in 2024
}}
{{Short description|Liechtensteiner politician (born 1971)}}
Thomas Rehak (born 21 January 1971) is an engineer and politician from Liechtenstein who has served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein since 2017. He is the current leader of the Democrats for Liechtenstein, since 2018.
Early life
Rehak was born on 21 January 1971 in Chur, Switzerland as the son of heating engineer Franz Rehak and his mother hairdresser Agnes Kindle as one of three children. He attended primary school in Triesen from 1978 to 1983 and then high school from 1983 to 1987.{{Cite web |date=26 May 2021 |title=Rehak, Thomas |url=https://historisches-lexikon.li/Rehak,_Thomas?marker=%09Thomas+Rehak |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein |language=de}}
He held an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer from 1987 to 1991 then from 1992 to 1995 he studied at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons in Chur.
Career
From 1996 to 1999 he worked as a service engineer at the Alcatel-Lucent in Zurich, then TeleNet project manager at Telecom Liechtenstein. Since 2001 he is a self-employed telecommunications consultant and from 2004 to 2017 he was the managing director of the data centre operator ICT-Center AG in Vaduz and Zurich.
In 2013, Rehak was a founding member of The Independents party and from 2013 to 2017 he was a deputy member of the Landtag of Liechtenstein, and also a member of the Liechtenstein European Economic Area commission. He was a member of the audit commission from 2015 to 2021. Rehak has been a full member of the Landtag since 2017.{{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}}
In August 2018 Landtag member Erich Hasler was expelled from The Independents under controversial circumstances. Rehak, along with Herbert Elkuch, sided with Hasler and left the party. The following month, the three men founded the Democrats for Liechtenstein.{{Cite news |date=21 September 2018 |title=Die neue Partei heisst DPL |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/die-neue-partei-heisst-dpl-art-348611 |access-date=21 February 2024 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}} Rehak has been the leader of the party since its founding in 2018.{{cite web |last=Marxer |first=Wilfred |date=10 March 2020 |title=Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) |url=https://historisches-lexikon.li/Demokraten_pro_Liechtenstein_%28DpL%29 |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein |language=de}} In the 2021 Liechtenstein general election he was re-elected to the Landtag as a member of the party in his own right.
For the 2025 Liechtenstein general election, the party nominated Rehak as a government candidate on 16 December 2024, being the first time the party has presented government candidates since its formation.{{Cite news |date=16 December 2024 |title=DpL nominieren Rehak und Hasler als Regierungskandidaten |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/dpl-nominiert-rehak-und-hasler-als-regierungskandidaten-art-584958 |access-date=17 December 2024 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}} During campaigning, Rehak suggested the possibility of a three-party coalition, stating that the DpL "had a right to a seat in government".{{Cite news |last=Thöny |first=Sina |date=17 February 2025 |title=Wahlumfrage zeigt: Grosse Koalition erhält am meisten Zustimmung |url=https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/politik/wahlumfrage-zeigt-grosse-koalition-erhaelt-am-meisten-zustimmung-art-590023 |access-date=17 February 2025 |work=Liechtensteiner Vaterland |language=de}}
Personal life
References
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Category:Liechtenstein engineers
Category:The Independents (Liechtenstein) politicians
Category:Democracts for Liechtenstein politicians
Category:Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (2017–2021)
Category:Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (2021–2025)
Category:Leaders of political parties in Liechtenstein
Category:Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (2025–2029)