1945 Liechtenstein general election

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1945 Liechtenstein general election
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg
←  1939 29 April 1945 1949  →
All 15 seats in the Landtag
8 seats needed for a majority
Turnout94.11%
PartyLeaderVote %Seats+/–
FBP Josef Hoop 54.7280
VU Otto Schaedler 45.2870
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
1939 Liechtenstein election map.svg
Results by constituency
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Josef Hoop
FBP 		Josef Hoop
FBP

General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 29 April 1945. [1] Following the "silent elections" of 1939, they were the first to use the new proportional representation system. The Progressive Citizens' Party won eight of the 15 seats in the Landtag, [2] but remained in coalition with the Patriotic Union. [3]

Contents

The elections were originally set to be held in 1943, as per the constitution of Liechtenstein. However, at the request of both parties, Franz Joseph II extended the government's term indefinitely while there was ongoing threat from Nazi Germany, primarily to prevent the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag. [4]

Electoral system

Previously voters had chosen members of the Landtag by writing the names of as many candidates on the ballot paper as there were seats in their constituency. [5] In the new system, parties put forward lists of candidates. [6] The lists served as the ballot papers, with voters submitting their favoured list to the ballot box. [6] Voters could also change the lists by crossing out names and adding others from other lists. [6] After the number of seats a party had won was decided, the candidates who had received the most votes after the voter amendments were elected. [6]

The threshold had been set at 18%, considered to be very high, primarily in order to prevent Nazi parties such as the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag. [1]

Results

Landtag liechtenstein 1945-1970.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Progressive Citizens' Party 1,55354.7280
Patriotic Union 1,28545.2870
Total2,838100.00150
Valid votes2,83897.66
Invalid/blank votes682.34
Total votes2,906100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,08894.11
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By electoral district

Electoral districtSeatsElectoratePartyElected membersSubstitutesVotes%Seats
Oberland 92,032 Patriotic Union
  • Alois Wille
  • Alexander Sele
97251.95
Progressive Citizens' Party
90148.14
Unterland 61,056 Progressive Citizens' Party
65267.64
Patriotic Union
  • Josef Marxer
  • Alois Hassler
31332.42
Source: Statistisches Jahrbuch 2005, Vogt [7]

Cultural depictions

The 1945 elections are depicted in the 1993 film Vent d'est , about a group of Russian collaborationist soldiers who sought asylum in Liechtenstein at the end of the war.

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References

  1. 1 2 Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1164 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p1182
  3. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p1157
  4. ↑ Wanger, Harald (31 December 2011). "Liechtenstein, Franz Josef II". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p1158
  6. 1 2 3 4 Nohlen & Stöver, p1159
  7. ↑ Paul Vogt (1987). 125 Jahre Landtag. Vaduz: Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein.


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