General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 9 February 2025 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag.[3] The Patriotic Union (VU) won 10 seats, while the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) won seven, the lowest in its history. The Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) won six seats, being the highest amount of seats won by a third party in Liechtenstein's history. The Free List (FL) won two seats. Voter turnout was 76.3%.
Incumbent prime minister Daniel Risch did not run for re-election. The VU nominated Brigitte Haas for prime minister, while the FBP nominated Ernst Walch. The DpL nominated Thomas Rehak and Erich Hasler as government candidates, being the first time the party has done so.
Following the election, the VU and FBP entered into a renewed coalition government, and the new government was sworn in on 10 April 2025.[4][5] Haas is the first female prime minister in Liechtenstein's history.[6]
The 25 members of the Landtag are elected by open listproportional 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 for whom they do not wish to cast a preferential vote, and may add names of candidates from other lists.[11] The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.[12] Landtag members sit for a four-year term.[11] Once formed, the Landtag elects the prime minister and four government councillors who govern in a cabinet.[13] Voting is compulsory by law and most is carried out by post. Polling stations are open only 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.[11]
On 25 February 2024, Liechtenstein voters were asked in a referendum if members of government should be directly elected, a proposal that would have affected the 2025 general election if successful.[14][15] However, the proposal was rejected by voters.[16]
Campaign
On 19 February 2024, Daniel Risch declared his intention to not run for re-election.[17][18] The VU nominated Brigitte Haas for prime minister, being the second woman nominated for the position, behind Sabine Monauni in 2021. The party also nominated Hubert Büchel and Emanuel Schädler as government candidates.[19][20] Haas stated that she was "available" for multiple terms if elected.[21]
On 13 August 2024, the Progressive Citizens' Party nominated former President of the Landtag and foreign minister, Ernst Walch for prime minister. The party also nominated incumbent Deputy Prime Minister of LiechtensteinSabine Monauni and then party president Daniel Oehry as government candidates.[22] At 68 years old, Walch is the oldest candidate in Liechtenstein's history.[23] He declared his intention to only serve one term as prime minister should he have been elected.[24] In an interview with 1 FL TV, incumbent President of the Landtag, Albert Frick, belonging to the FBP, announced that he would not be running for re-election.[25] According to an October 2024 survey, only 48% of respondents wanted a government that included Walch, being the lowest of any candidate.[26]
On 29 January 2025, the newspaper Die Zeit published an article regarding Walch.[27] In the article, it criticized his activities as a trustee and his actions as foreign minister, highlighting his involvement in numerous scandals from that time, stating that "Liechtenstein's dark past will catch up with it".[28]
In February 2024, the newspaper Liechtensteiner Vaterland conducted a survey which suggested that only 25% of respondents would support another coalition government between the Patriotic Union and Progressive Citizens' Party.[29] However, the FBP declared that it was open to the formation of a coalition should it have won the election.[30] Brigitte Hass also stated that she was open to a formation of a coalition with the FBP, but was sceptical of other parties.[31]
The Democrats for Liechtenstein nominated Thomas Rehak and Erich Hasler for government positions on 16 December 2024, being the first time the party has presented government candidates since its formation in 2018. They said that they were open to a coalition with other parties.[32] During campaigning, Rehak suggested the possibility of a three-party coalition, stating that the DpL "had a right to a seat in government".[33] According to polling, the party was predicted to receive a significantly increased share of the vote compared to 2021, perhaps as high as 20%.[34][35]
The Free List did not present any government candidates, but it also stated that it did not rule out participation in government.[36] Mensch Im Mittelpunkt renounced any candidates in December 2024.[37]The Independents, which had suffered a large electoral defeat in 2021, did not present any candidates.
Election campaigning is largely unregulated and carried out via social media, newspapers and broadcast media. All parties are permitted to post an official campaign video on the websites of the main newspapers in the country. The elections are the second to be carried out under the 2019 Law on Payment of Contributions to Political Parties which limited public funding to registered political parties, banned large anonymous donations and required the publication of accounts by parties.[11]
The VU received 38.3% of the vote, a 2.7% increase from their 2021 performance and maintained its ten seats in the Landtag. The FBP received 27.5% of the vote, an 8.4% decrease from 2021, and won seven seats, a decrease of three. It is the lowest result in the FBP's history.[3][6] The DpL saw its vote share rise 11.1% to 23.3% from 2021 and won six seats, an increase of four, the highest of any third party in Liechtenstein's history. The Free List received 10.9% of the vote, a decrease of 2% from 2021, and won two seats, a decrease of one.[3][40]
A total of 16,171 ballots were cast, resulting in a 76.3% voter turnout. The majority of votes (97%) were cast by post.[3]
Following the election, the VU invited the FBP to begin negotiations for a renewed coalition government, which the FBP accepted.[41][42] The session in the Landtag to elect the new government was initially scheduled for 20 March, but was postponed to 10 April.[43] The VU and FBP have agreed to enter into a renewed coalition government.[4] The DpL also expressed its desire to open negotiations for a coalition government.[33]
According to a poll by the Liechtenstein Institute published after the election, 17% and of voters who voted for the FBP in 2021 switched to the VU in 2025. 91% of respondents cited that the choice of Walch as the candidate for prime minister or the FBP's government team in general was the reason for their change in vote. In addition, the same poll suggested that the FBP lost a further 14% of its voting share from 2021 to the DpL, with the majority of respondents citing differing policies for the change.[44]
↑ While the Free List has no one official leader, operating instead with an Executive board, Haldner-Schierscher has been referred to as their de facto leader.[1][2]
↑ "New Government Sworn In". Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein in Washington D.C. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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