Elections in Liechtenstein

The Landtag is Liechtenstein's parliament. Landtag elections normally take place in February or March every four years; the next regular election is scheduled for 2029. The Government can set the election date and publish the official arrangements. If the Landtag is dissolved, a new election takes place within six weeks. Landtag elections use proportional representation. Electoral groups submit lists of candidates in the Oberland or Unterland. An electoral group needs at least 8% of the valid votes nationwide to receive seats. The electoral districts have different sizes: the Oberland elects 15 members and the Unterland elects 10. Candidates' votes and additional votes for the printed electoral group determine the party vote total. Seats are allocated using a quota based on the valid votes remaining after groups below the threshold are excluded, followed by remainder-seat allocation. Within a successful list, candidates with the highest vote totals are elected; a tie is decided by the order on the list. One substitute is assigned for every three mandates, with at least one substitute when a list wins at least one seat. If a seat becomes vacant, the next eligible non-elected candidate on the same list normally takes it; otherwise, a supplementary election can be held. Liechtenstein citizens aged 18 or older with ordinary residence in Liechtenstein at least one month before election day have active and passive voting rights. Active voting rights allow a person to vote, while passive voting rights allow candidacy. The right to vote remains in place during a temporary stay abroad for study, seasonal work or treatment. It can be suspended or withdrawn under the applicable rules. Participation in elections is a civic duty. Each municipality keeps the electoral register. The register is publicly available for three days during a period of at least three weeks before the election. An objection goes first to the municipal administration and then to the Government. The municipality sends the voting card and official voting material no later than two weeks before election day. No official voting fee for eligible voters is identified; the municipality supplies the voting card and official material, while a postal vote from abroad can involve postage costs. A voter can vote at the polling station in the municipality of residence on election day or on one of the two preceding days when the polling station is open. The voter hands in the voting card and places the official ballot paper in the ballot envelope. Postal voting is available from any location in Liechtenstein or abroad after the voting material is delivered. The postal package includes the voting card, a signed declaration and the official return envelope. The election authority must receive the postal vote by the opening of voting on the first election day; a late postal vote is destroyed unopened. Electronic voting is legally possible only for locally, temporarily and materially limited trials and is not the regular voting method. The ballot paper allows the voter to write a complete candidate name. A number alone is insufficient, at least one valid name is required, and the voter cannot list more names than the number of seats in the district. A name can appear only once. Voters can remove printed candidates, add candidates from other electoral groups in the same district through panachage, or leave blank lines that count as additional votes for the printed electoral group. If too many names are listed, names are removed from the bottom upward. Comments, signatures or identifying marks can make the ballot invalid. The municipal election commission checks postal votes and places valid ballot envelopes unopened into the ballot box. Counting begins immediately after voting closes. Technical counting aids are permitted. The protocol records eligible voters, voting cards, votes, valid, invalid and blank ballots, candidate and additional votes, and the share of postal votes. The municipality sends its result to the main election commission for the Oberland or Unterland and then to the Government, which publishes the official result. A voting group that submitted an election list can challenge the election. It registers the complaint with the Government within three days and submits the reasons and written complaint within a further five days. The State Court carries out the substantive review, while the Landtag validates the election. After the election, the Landtag proposes the Head of Government and four government councillors. The Prince appoints them by agreement with the Landtag for a four-year government period. Municipal elections apply the basic principles of the national system with local differences. Liechtenstein has 11 municipalities, six in the Oberland and five in the Unterland. Voting rights for a municipal election are exercised only in the municipality of residence. Municipal council elections normally take place in March before the end of the term, and the term lasts four years with office beginning on 1 May. Municipal offices include the Gemeindevorsteher, the municipal council and the business audit commission. A candidate for Gemeindevorsteher is proposed no later than six weeks before election day with signatures from at least twice the number of municipal council seats to be filled; the list is published no later than two weeks before the election. The Gemeindevorsteher needs an absolute majority in the first ballot. If no candidate reaches it, a second ballot takes place within four weeks and the relative majority decides. Municipal councils are elected proportionally using the electoral quota and remainder seats, while lists below the quota are excluded. Depending on population and the municipal rules, a council has 6, 8, 10 or 12 members excluding the Gemeindevorsteher. Referendums and popular initiatives also involve political participation in Liechtenstein, but they are not elections for representative mandates and follow a different legal framework.