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PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN
Official name: Furstentum Liechtenstein (Principality of Liechtenstein)
Location: Western Europe
International organisations: The Council of Europe, The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation
Borders: Austria, Switzerland
Coastline: None
Land area: 160 Km2
Population: 33,000
Ethnicity: Virtually the entire population is of German ethnicity.
Languages: German is the official language and is universally used.
Religion: Most of the population are at least nominal Catholic Christians.
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Form of government: Monarchy. Liechtenstein is divided into
11 communes. For electoral purposes it is divided into two regions. Capital: Vaduz
Constitution: The
Constitution of Liechtenstein came into effect on 5 October 1921. It was substantially amended in 2003.
Head of state: Prince Hans-Adam II assumed the throne on 13 November 1989.
Head of government: The Head of Government (Regierungschef), appointed by the Prince. The amendments to the
constitution in 2003 make the Prince the effective ruler of Liechtenstein.
Legislature: Liechtenstein has a unicameral legislature, the
Assembly (Landtag), which has 25 members elected
for four-year terms by proportional representation from two multi-member districts.
Electoral authority: The government administers national elections
Freedom House rating:
Political Rights 1, Civil Liberties 1
(This rating was issued before the constitutional revisions of 2003)
Political history
The County of Vaduz was part of the Holy Roman Empire and was bought by Prince Johann
Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein (the name of a castle near Vienna) in 1699. He was recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor
Karl VI as Prince of
Liechtenstein in 1719. Liechtenstein became a sovereign state in 1806 when the Empire was dissolved. Its independence
was confirmed in the settlement of 1815. In 1862 a new Constitution was promulgated, which provided for an elected
Landtage. In 1918 Liechtenstein formed a customs and monetary union with Switzerland.
In 1919 Liechtenstein entrusted its external relations to neutral Switzerland. In 1938 Prince Franz Josef II
became the first Prince to actually live in Liechtenstein.
In March 2003 the voters of Liechtenstein approved a referendum was giving Prince Hans-Adam the
right to dismiss governments, dismiss individual ministers, make judicial apointments and veto laws. The referendum also precludes any further
amendments to the constitution without the Prince's approval unless the monarchy is abolished, and abolished the
jurisdiction of the courts over constitutional matters. This amounted to a decisive shift of power
from the legislature to the Prince, and means that Liechtenstein has in effect ceased to be a democracy.
Liechtenstein politics are dominated by two conservative parties, the
Progressive Citizens' Party in Liechtenstein (FBL) and the
Patriotic Union (VU). The only non-conservative voice in Liechtenstein politics
is the Free List, a minor Green party.
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