Thomas Zwiefelhofer

Susanne Heeb

​

(m. 1996)​

Thomas Zwiefelhofer
Official portrait, 2013
Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
In office 27 March 2013 –30 March 2017
Children	3
Military service
Allegiance	Switzerland
Branch/service	Army of Switzerland
Years of service	2001–2004
Rank	Captain

Thomas Zwiefelhofer (born 10 December 1969) is a politician from Liechtenstein who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 2013 to 2017, under the government of Adrian Hasler. Since 2021, he has been the president of the Patriotic Union.

Early life and career

Zwiefelhofer was born on 10 December 1969 in Grabs, Switzerland as the son of engineer Hanspeter Zwiefelhofer and the commercial clerk Christa Goop as one of three children. He grew up in Schellenberg and attended school at the Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium. From 1989 he studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a diploma in 1995. He worked as an architect in Zurich from 1996 to 1998. ^[1]

From 1998 to 2000 he studied law at the University of St. Gallen. From 2001 to 2004 he was the commander of a tank brigade in the Swiss Armed Forces, reaching the rank of captain. ^[1]

He received a doctorate in law in 2007 and then worked as a lawyer and member of the management board of the Allgemeines Treuunternehmen in Vaduz until 2013. From 2007 to 2011 he was a member of the Vaduz municipal council as a member of the Patriotic Union. From 2007 to 2013 he was the honorary consul of Poland in Liechtenstein. ^[1]

Deputy prime minister of Liechtenstein

Zwiefelhofer was the Patriotic Union's candidate for Prime Minister of Liechtenstein in the 2013 Liechtenstein general election. The election resulted in a win for the Progressive Citizens' Party, and Zwiefelhofer was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein on 27 March 2013 under the government of Adrian Hasler in a renewed coalition government between the two parties. ^{[2] [3]} Additionally he was a government councillor with the roles of interior, justice and economy. ^[1]

Zwiefelhofer (left) with Ueli Maurer in 2015

During his term in office, he as a part of the government was responsible for the establishment of an asylum task force, and then an amendment to the Liechtenstein asylum law in response to the 2015 European migrant crisis. It also included a revision of the gambling law in 2016 which allowed for the opening of casinos in Liechtenstein for the first time. ^[1]

Zwiefelhofer was re-nominated as the Patriotic Union's candidate for prime minister on 16 June 2016. ^[4] The 2017 Liechtenstein general election once again resulted in a win for the Progressive Citizens' Party. ^[5] As a result, Zwiefelhofer resigned and was succeeded by Daniel Risch as deputy prime minister on 30 March 2017. ^{[6] [7]}

Later life

Since 2018, Zwiefelhofer has been the honorary consul of the Czech Republic in Liechtenstein. ^[1]

Zwiefelhofer (right) in 2025

He was a member of the board of directors of Vaduzer Medienhaus AG, the publisher of the Liechtensteiner Vaterland newspaper from 2021. He resigned from this position in 2024 as part of an effort to distance the newspaper from its connection to the Patriotic Union. ^[1] Since 2021, he has been the president of the Patriotic Union, succeeding Günther Fritz. ^[8]

Personal life

Zwiefelhofer married Susanne Heeb (born 12 December 1972) on 27 September 1996 and they have three children together. He lives in Vaduz. ^[1]

Honours

•   Austria: Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria (2017) ^[1]
•   Liechtenstein: Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (2017) ^[9]

References

1. "Zwiefelhofer, Thomas". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
2. "Landtagswahlen 2013". Fürstentum Liechtenstein Landtagswahlen (in German). Archived from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
3. "Koalition statt Ko-Opposition: FBP und VU für Ende der Parteipolitik". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). 27 March 2013. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
4. "VU präsentiert Regierungsteam für Wahlen 2017". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
5. "Landtagswahlen 2017". Fürstentum Liechtenstein Landtagswahlen (in German). Archived from the original on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
6. "Thomas Zwiefelhofer tritt nicht mehr an". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 6 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
7. "Landtag hat neue Regierung gewählt". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 30 March 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
8. "Thomas Zwiefelhofer soll neuer VU-Präsident werden". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
9. "Fürstlicher Orden für Zwiefelhofer und Amann-Marxer". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 8 June 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2023.

External links

• Thomas Zwiefelhofer Archived 2013-06-02 at the Wayback Machine at the official website of the government of Liechtenstein.