Hans Brunhart

Bernadette Biedermann

​

​

(m. 1972)​

Hans Brunhart
Brunhart in 1991
Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
In office 26 April 1978 –26 May 1993
Children	3

Hans Brunhart (born 28 March 1945) is a politician and journalist from Liechtenstein who served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1978 to 1993.

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein

Brunhart was Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein under the government of Walter Kieber from 27 March 1974 to 26 April 1978. He was Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, serving from 26 April 1978 to 26 May 1993. ^[1] The 1978 Liechtenstein general election resulted in a win for the Patriotic Union, and Brunhart was appointed as Prime Minister. ^[2]

Brunhart (second from left) during a session in the Landtag of Liechtenstein on 24 March 1991.

Brunhart's tenure was marked by significant changes in Liechtenstein's foreign policy. In 1978, Liechtenstein joined the Council of Europe, and Brunhart, along with Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, held the presidency of the Committee of Ministers in 1987. ^[3] In addition, Liechtenstein became a full member of the United Nations in 1990 following Security Council Resolution 663. ^[4] Under his government, Liechtenstein became a member of the European Free Trade Association in its own right in 1991. ^[5]

During his tenure, women received voting rights for the first time, following a referendum on the topic (among men only) in 1984. ^[6]

1992 crisis

Main article: 1992 Liechtenstein constitutional crisis

On 6 December 1992 a referendum was to be held in Switzerland on a federal resolution on the accession to the European Economic Area (EEA). ^[7] In correspondence with the customs union between the two countries, a similar referendum was to be held in Liechtenstein at a similar time. ^[8]

When planning on the date for the Liechtenstein referendum regarding accession to the EEA, prince Hans-Adam II called for it to be held in advance of the corresponding one in Switzerland, against the wishes of the Brunhart and the Landtag of Liechtenstein. On 28 October 1992, he threatened to dismiss the Landtag and Brunhart's government over the dispute and appoint an acting prime minister in his place. ^[9]

In response approximately 2000 people demonstrated in front of the government house in Vaduz. The same day, the government and Hans-Adam II negotiated and came to an agreement that scheduled the referendum after the corresponding one in Switzerland, though notably it affirmed that Liechtenstein would commit to agreements with the EEA despite the result in Switzerland. ^[9] Liechtenstein subsequently joined the EEA in May the same year. ^{[8] [10]}

Resignation

The February 1993 Liechtenstein general election resulted in a win for the Progressive Citizens' Party. ^[11] As a result, Brunhart resigned on 26 May 1993 and was succeeded by Markus Büchel. ^[1]

Later life

From 1996 to 2012, Brunhart was chairman of the board directors of the VP Bank. ^{[3] [12]} He has been an honorary member of the Patriotic Union since 1996 and is occasionally still consulted in politics, most recently by Daniel Risch in 2022. ^{[3] [13]}

From 2004 to 2006 he was president of the Liechtenstein-Switzerland society and since 2004 president of the board of trustees in Haus Gutenberg foundation in Balzers. ^[3] In 1995, Brunhart founded the annual magazine Balzner Neujahrsblätter and has remained an editor since. ^[14]

Personal life

Brunhart married Bernadette Biedermann (born 5 August 1945) on 18 November 1972 and they have three children together. ^[3]

His brother, Arthur Brunhart, served as President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 2009 to 2013. ^{[15] [16]}

Honours

•   Austria: Gold Medal of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria ^[3]

•   Liechtenstein: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein ^[3]
•   Holy See: Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX (1983) ^[3]

See also

• Hans Brunhart cabinet
• Politics of Liechtenstein

References

1. "Mitglieder der Regierung des Fürstentums Liechtenstein 1862-2021" (PDF). www.regierung.li. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
2. Liechtenstein Inter-Parliamentary Union
3. "Brunhart, Hans". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). 31 December 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
4. "Tiny Liechtenstein Joining the U.N." Syracuse Post Standard . 15 August 1990. p. 5. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
5. "Brunhart, Hans". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). 31 December 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
6. "AROUND THE WORLD; Liechtenstein Women Win Right to Vote". The New York Times . 2 July 1984. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
7. Kreis, George (2021). Looking back : 1992 as a critical juncture. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003038719-2. ISBN   978-1-003-03871-9.
8. Dataset: Liechtenstein: Referendum on the Agreement of European Economic Area 1992 Archived 26 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine European Election Database
9. Marxer, Wilfried (31 December 2011). "Staatskrise (28.10.1992)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 18 February 2024.
10. "Trade alliance gets OK". Winnipeg Free Press . 10 April 1995. p. 4. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
11. Dataset: Liechtenstein: Parliamentary Election 1993 - February Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine European Election Database
12. Hans Brunhart, Chairman of the Board. Verwaltungs- und Privat Bank AG. Accessed 2010-02-12.
13. "Herr Brunhart, warum gab es keinen Liechtensteiner Blocher?". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 13 December 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
14. Burgmeier, Georg (31 December 2011). "Balzner Neujahrsblätter". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 19 February 2024.
15. Editorial (18 September 2017). "Brunhart, Arthur". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
16. "Mitglieder – Präsidenten" (in German). 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019.

Preceded by Walter Kieber	Head of Government of Liechtenstein 1978-1993	Succeeded by Markus Büchel