Liechtenstein Landtag election - 7th February 2021

[parochial boy]

I noticed this was on, so here is a thread. The government is currently (since 2005) a coalition of the two major parties (the FBP and VU), led by the FBP's Adrian Hasler.

participating are:

Progressive Citizens Party (FBP) - 35.2% in 2017 - right wing
Fatherland Union (VU) - 33.7% in 2017 - right-wing although allegedly marginally less so than the FBP
The Independents/Die Unabhängigen (DU) - 18.4% - nationalist-populist right
Free List/Freie Liste (FL) - 12.6% - ecologist left, but not very left

Also a new party in the form of Demokraten pro Liechtenstein (Democrats for Liechtenstein), who are a split from the Independents - their website has some blurb about "the social state" so maybe they're a bit less right wing, but it also might not mean anything. Otherwise, they might be a bit of a spoiler, but also might not. I haven't seen any polling, but the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt and Vaterland both payroll everything and I ain't paying my own money to read about glorified municipal politics.

There is actually a "who to vote for" quiz at https://www.wahlhilfe.li/ which is full of important questions like "should we increase financial support for the ski lifts in Malbun?" but is otherwise fairly helpful as it functions as a sort of microscope in order to help you detect the minuscule differences between the FBP and VU (they mostly agree on the ski lifts).

[Battista Minola 1616]

TL;DR Liechtenstein is right-wing af? Good.

I also now feel an urge to start a San Marino politics thread, but alas, I've just found out I missed the administrative elections there for twenty days. I'll try to cover its 'glorified municipal politics' next time they have a general election or a referendum though.

[Middle-aged Europe]

There is actually a "who to vote for" quiz at https://www.wahlhilfe.li/ which is full of important questions like "should we increase financial support for the ski lifts in Malbun?" but is otherwise fairly helpful as it functions as a sort of microscope in order to help you detect the minuscule differences between the FBP and VU (they mostly agree on the ski lifts).

Oberland: I've got FL politicians on eight of the first ten spots, except for #5 and #10 where I have VU.

Unterland: FL on the first four spots, then largely VU except for #5 (FBP) and #9 (DpL).

[Estrella]

What would make someone vote for VU instead of FBP or vice-versa? The place is too much of a village to have any relevant political divides (civil war like in Ireland? hahaha) and it's not personalities either, the parties' support has always been too stable for that, so I assume it's for "your great-great-grandfather stole my great-great-grandmother's horse" reasons?

[CumbrianLefty]

TL;DR Liechtenstein is right-wing af? Good.

I also now feel an urge to start a San Marino politics thread, but alas, I've just found out I missed the administrative elections there for twenty days. I'll try to cover its 'glorified municipal politics' next time they have a general election or a referendum though.

San Marino is a left wing equivalent of Liechtenstein, pretty much?

[Alcibiades]

IIRC the Prince of Liechtenstein is one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, with significant political power.

[Estrella]

TL;DR Liechtenstein is right-wing af? Good.

I also now feel an urge to start a San Marino politics thread, but alas, I've just found out I missed the administrative elections there for twenty days. I'll try to cover its 'glorified municipal politics' next time they have a general election or a referendum though.

San Marino is a left wing equivalent of Liechtenstein, pretty much?

Pretty much. At one point they were even ruled by a coalition of Communists and Socialists that was overthrown in (response to) a coup-like event that went down like a scene from The Mouse that Roared:

On 30 September, opposition councilors occupied an abandoned factory in the town of Rovereta, Serravalle on the Italian border. At the stroke of midnight when the regency should have expired, the councilors declared a provisional government. Italy recognized the provisional government and Italian Carabinieri protected the three sides of the factory that sat in their territory. The regency organized a militia of supporters and weapons flowed in from Italy to both sides. On 11 October, the regency caved in and recognized the provisional government, ending the crisis.

[parochial boy]

What would make someone vote for VU instead of FBP or vice-versa? The place is too much of a village to have any relevant political divides (civil war like in Ireland? hahaha) and it's not personalities either, the parties' support has always been too stable for that, so I assume it's for "your great-great-grandfather stole my great-great-grandmother's horse" reasons?

My reseachings have taken me to the Liechtenstein Historical Lexicon, which informs me that one of the founding partners of the VU was the old "Christian Social Party" and that the party is traditionally close to the Liechtensteinischer ArbeitnehmerInnenverband , that is, the only labour union in the country. The FBP on the other hand, was traditionally close to farmers, artisans and catholic church. So, astonishingly enough, it is a pretty "traditional" political divide - although probably these days there is just a huge friends and families vote tying the parties to their traditional strong points.

The VU is stronger in the Oberland, which is (presumably) the more industrial and urban region - notably you have the industrial giant Hilti in Schaan - the FBP is stronger in the Unterland, which is flatter and (also presumably) a bit more agricultural.

But overall, the country is basically a rural, catholic tax haven glued on to, and culturally part of, the most right wing part of Switzerland. And, well, it shows.

[Battista Minola 1616]

TL;DR Liechtenstein is right-wing af? Good.

I also now feel an urge to start a San Marino politics thread, but alas, I've just found out I missed the administrative elections there for twenty days. I'll try to cover its 'glorified municipal politics' next time they have a general election or a referendum though.

San Marino is a left wing equivalent of Liechtenstein, pretty much?

Exactly.
It's not surprising, given the part of Italy that San Marino is surrounded by (to be fair, said part of Italy has been drifting right recently, but of course San Marino has no Lega equivalent).
It's also not surprising, given that Liechtenstein is still a constitutional monarchy where the prince enjoys significant political power, while San Marino has been a republic since time immemorial. Although to be honest "republic" pretty much meant "oligarchy of landowners" for centuries until the filthy peasants forced a convocation of the assembly of householders in 1906 which introduced democratic elections.

Also, as Estrella noted, they had a spicy constitutional crisis over the role of Communists in government in 1957 called Fatti di Rovereta. However it should be noted that the Communists would later come back to government in 1978. And San Marino is absolutely based and compromesso-storico-pilled, because in 1986 the Communists even allied with the Christian Democrats.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

TL;DR Liechtenstein is right-wing af? Good.

I also now feel an urge to start a San Marino politics thread, but alas, I've just found out I missed the administrative elections there for twenty days. I'll try to cover its 'glorified municipal politics' next time they have a general election or a referendum though.

San Marino is a left wing equivalent of Liechtenstein, pretty much?

Exactly.
It's not surprising, given the part of Italy that San Marino is surrounded by (to be fair, said part of Italy has been drifting right recently, but of course San Marino has no Lega equivalent).
It's also not surprising, given that Liechtenstein is still a constitutional monarchy where the prince enjoys significant political power, while San Marino has been a republic since time immemorial. Although to be honest "republic" pretty much meant "oligarchy of landowners" for centuries until the filthy peasants forced a convocation of the assembly of householders in 1906 which introduced democratic elections.

Also, as Estrella noted, they had a spicy constitutional crisis over the role of Communists in government in 1957 called Fatti di Rovereta. However it should be noted that the Communists would later come back to government in 1978. And San Marino is absolutely based and compromesso-storico-pilled, because in 1986 the Communists even allied with the Christian Democrats.

HISTORIC COMPROMISE

[Hnv1]

Basically the election for the parliament of the Roman Empire

[cp]

Basically the election for the parliament of the Roman Empire

Surely it would be the Senate!

[Battista Minola 1616]

Basically the election for the parliament of the Roman Empire

More like the Holy Roman Empire.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Exactly.
It's not surprising, given the part of Italy that San Marino is surrounded by (to be fair, said part of Italy has been drifting right recently, but of course San Marino has no Lega equivalent).
It's also not surprising, given that Liechtenstein is still a constitutional monarchy where the prince enjoys significant political power, while San Marino has been a republic since time immemorial. Although to be honest "republic" pretty much meant "oligarchy of landowners" for centuries until the filthy peasants forced a convocation of the assembly of householders in 1906 which introduced democratic elections.

Also, as Estrella noted, they had a spicy constitutional crisis over the role of Communists in government in 1957 called Fatti di Rovereta. However it should be noted that the Communists would later come back to government in 1978. And San Marino is absolutely based and compromesso-storico-pilled, because in 1986 the Communists even allied with the Christian Democrats.

HISTORIC COMPROMISE

I like to think that what happened in San Marino in 1986 had the blessing of Moro and Berlinguer from Heaven.

[jaymichaud]

I didn't even know they had a parliament, pretty wild.

[parochial boy]

And in actual news, claiming a lack of information about the long term effects of RNA vaccines, Die Unabhängigen have launched a complaint to the constitutional court against the approval of the Covid vaccine.

The Swiss Constitutional court, that is.

[Democratic Hawk]

IIRC the Prince of Liechtenstein is one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, with significant political

The Prince of Liechtenstein has powers equivalent to those of a president in a semi-presidential system.

[Astatine]

Liechtenstein might get its first female head of government, as Adrian Hasler chose to not seek re-election. FBP nominated Sabine Monauni, a EU diplomat who never held elected office before, as their candidate for Prime Minister. VU nominated minister Daniel Risch, who announced that if his party fails to become largest force, he'll not be part of the next government.

The next government, presumptively once again a FBP-VU coalition, will definitely have more women than men serving in it, which is relatively remarkable for a country in which woman have had the right to vote for only 36 years.

For whomever who wants to read more about that (article is in German tho): https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/liechtensteins-politik-wird-weiblicher-ld.1594342

[parochial boy]

If anyone wants to participate in the exit poll then you can, here, apparently no worries about actually being a voter there or not.

Based on the head of the Liechtenstein-Instituts, Christian Frommelt, the outcome of this election could be closer between the big two than has been in the case in recent years, even if the campaign has apparently been very quiet and, unsurprisingly, corona driven.

More interesting is perhaps what happens between DU and DPL. From what it seems, DPL are enjoying somewhat of a surge in popularity, and could really split the "populist" vote, and even surpass DU. To the point that DU could even wind up under the 8% hurdle required to enter parliament.

the Freie Liste seem likely to hold steady

[Flyersfan232]

Any polls?

[parochial boy]

Live results for anyone strange enough to be interested, or having a really boring Sunday or whatever. Polls closed almost three hours ago, with results supposedly starting to come through an hour ago, but nothing yet.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Live results for anyone strange enough to be interested, or having a really boring Sunday or whatever. Polls closed almost three hours ago, with results supposedly starting to come through an hour ago, but nothing yet.

Polls closed at noon? What?

And the DU looks... in really bad shape.

[Diouf]

The results of the first two districts have come in, and it looks like the Independents are getting crushed down to 3.8%, and that their breakaway group Democrats for Liechtenstein could get above the 8% threshold.

[Tender Branson]

2 towns have reported their results now.

Turnout is pretty good, at 90% or so in those, which is slightly higher than last time.

Liechtenstein-wide, it should be around 80%.

Almost 95% of all voters voted by post.

[Diouf]

It seems like a similar voting system to e.g. Luxembourg, where the voter can vote for as many candidates as there are seats in the districts. And it's possible to vote across parties. So in the count per party there are "unveränderten"/unchanged votes, where all votes go the party you have chosen, and "veränderten"/changed votes, where the voter have replaced some candidates from the preferred party by candidates from other parties.