| Country: | Liechtenstein |
| Previous Election: | 2021 |
| Election Date: | 9 February 2025 |
| Next Election: | 2029 |
| Seats For Election: | All 25 seats in the Landtag |
| Majority Seats: | 13 |
| Ongoing: | yes |
| Leader1: | Brigitte Haas |
| Party1: | Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein) |
| Current Seats1: | 10 |
| Leader2: | Ernst Walch |
| Party2: | Progressive Citizens' Party |
| Current Seats2: | 10 |
| Party3: | Free List (Liechtenstein) |
| Current Seats3: | 3 |
| Leader4: | Thomas Rehak |
| Party4: | DpL |
| Current Seats4: | 2 |
| Prime Minister | |
| Before Election: | Daniel Risch |
| Before Party: | Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein) |
General elections are scheduled to be held in Liechtenstein on 9 February 2025 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag.[1] [2] They will be the 49th general elections since the ratification of the 1862 constitution.
Incumbent prime minister Daniel Risch has declared his intention to not run for re-election. The Patriotic Union has nominated Brigitte Haas for prime minister, whereas the Progressive Citizens' Party have nominated Ernst Walch. Should Haas be elected to the office, she would be the first female head of government.
See main article: article and 2021 Liechtenstein general election. In the 2021 Liechtenstein general election, the Patriotic Union (VU) and Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) each won 10 seats.[3] As a result, the two parties formed a coalition government, ultimately under Daniel Risch of the VU.[4] The Free List and Democrats for Liechtenstein received 12.9% and 11.1% of the vote in 2021 respectively.[5] A new political party, Mensch Im Mittelpunkt, was formed in 2022.[6]
See main article: article and Elections in Liechtenstein. The 25 members of the Landtag are elected by open list proportional 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.[7] The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.[8] Landtag members sit for a four year term. Once formed, the Landtag votes to elect a prime minister, who governs through a cabinet of four ministers, who are selected from Landtag members.[9] 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.
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.[10] [11] However, the proposal was rejected by voters.[12]
On 19 February 2024 Daniel Risch declared his intention to not run for re-election.[13] [14] The VU nominated Brigitte Haas for prime minister, being the second woman nominated for the position, behind Sabine Monauni in 2021.[15] [16] She stated that she was "available" for multiple terms if elected.[17]
On 13 August 2024, the Progressive Citizens' Party nominated former President of the Landtag, Ernst Walch for prime minister.[18] At 68 years old, he is the oldest candidate in Liechtenstein's history.[19] He has declared his intention to only serve one term as prime minister should he be elected.[20] In an interview with 1 FL TV, incumbent President of the Landtag, Albert Frick, belonging to the FBP, announced that he will not be running for re-election.[21] According to an October 2024 survey, only 48% of respondents wanted a government that included Walch, being the lowest of any candidate.[22]
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.[23] However, the FBP has declared that it is open to the formation of a coalition should it win the election.[24] Brigitte Hass has also said that she is open to a formation of a coalition with the FBP, but is sceptical of other parties.[25]
The Democrats for Liechtenstein, led by Thomas Rehak, are expected to receive a significantly increased share of the vote compared to 2021.[26] Both the DpL and the Free List are unlikely to present any candidates for prime minister or government.[27]
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.
| Source | Date | VU | FBP | FL | DpL | DU | MiM | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demoscope[28] | 22 October 2024 | 31% | 31% | 9% | 17% | — | — | 1% | |
| Demoscope | 20 June 2024 | 25% | 23% | 14% | 23% | — | — | — | |
| Vaterland[29] | 13 July 2023 | 14.70% | 16.19% | 5.17% | 41.46% | 0.71% | 14.75% | 7.02% |
| Oberland | FBP | VU | FL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| DpL | DU | |||
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| Unterland | FBP | VU | FL | |
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| DpL | DU | |||
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| Source: Liechtensteiner Vaterland | ||||