Liechtenstein votes on popular election of the government
Published: Sunday, Feb 18th 2024, 09:40
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On February 25, Liechtenstein voters will go to the polls to decide on a change in the system for appointing the national government. A popular initiative is calling for the government to be elected by the people instead of by parliament as before. The government and parliament are warning against a "dangerous experiment with a tried and tested system".
The popular initiative "Involvement of the people in the appointment of the government" was launched by the small Democrats pro Liechtenstein party. The initiative calls for the head of government and the four other members of government to be elected directly by the people. A similar electoral system is known from the Swiss cantons.
The Liechtenstein parliament, the Landtag, would only have the task of expressing confidence in the elected government team and proposing it to the Prince Regnant for appointment.
The popular election of the government is intended to replace the principle of joint government elections by Parliament and the Prince, which was enshrined in the national constitution in 1921. This provides for government candidates to conduct a kind of public election campaign, but are then determined by Parliament and appointed by the Prince.
Parliament mapped in the government
In the existing system, the distribution of power in parliament is reflected in the government. If a coalition government is formed by two political parties, it is customary for a member of the stronger party in parliament to hold the office of head of government and a member of the weaker party to take on the office of deputy head of government.
Little would change for the prince with a change of system to popular election. In the "constitutional hereditary monarchy on a democratic parliamentary basis", he would retain the right to appoint or reject members of the government - whether they were appointed by parliament or elected by the people. The Prince could continue to dismiss the government or dissolve the democratically elected parliament and call for new elections.
"Expansion of the democratic rights of the people"
The Democrats pro Liechtenstein are campaigning for the system change by expanding the democratic rights of the people. "Our democracy will be strengthened", they write in the official voting brochure. The desire for direct elections to the government has long existed among the population.
The popular vote increases the distance between the government and parliament. "This allows Parliament to scrutinize the actions of the government more critically," the Democrats pro Liechtenstein are convinced.
The other three parties represented in the 25-member state parliament are against a change. Parliament voted clearly against the initiative by 22 votes to 2. Hereditary Prince Alois and the government also recommend rejecting the initiative. They describe direct elections as a "dangerous experiment with a tried and tested form of government" under which the principality has become a rich country.
"The effects of the initiative on political stability, the structure of the state and the state's ability to act cannot be predicted," the government emphasizes in the voting brochure. There are fears of political blockades, for example, if the government has a different majority than the state parliament.
"Government would be strengthened"
Opponents agree that a government appointed by the people would be significantly stronger than the parliament and a directly elected head of government would be stronger than the prince.
"The potential for conflict between the Reigning Prince and the government as well as parliament and the government is increasing, which leads to the aforementioned risk of political instability," said Hereditary Prince Alois, who conducts state affairs as deputy to the Reigning Prince, in an interview with the "Liechtensteiner Vaterland" newspaper.
He is confident that the population will recognize the danger and reject the initiative, the Hereditary Prince explained in an interview. If the referendum is nevertheless accepted, the Hereditary Prince could use his right of veto to override it. A veto can never be ruled out, but it is "not likely", said Alois von und zu Liechtenstein.
©Keystone/SDA
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