October 1993 Liechtenstein general election

In the February 1993 elections, the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) won a plurality of twelve seats, whereas the Patriotic Union (VU) won eleven, and the Free List won one.^[2] As a result, the FBP and VU formed a coalition government, under the leadership of Markus Büchel.^[3]

By August 1993, Büchel came under significant controversy due to a controversial appointment to the head of the Liechtenstein tax administration.^[4] On 31 August, the FBP withdrew confidence in Büchel and publicly called for his resignation as prime minister;^[5] the party cited his poor performance in office, untruthfulness, and refusal to work with government colleagues as reasons for the loss in confidence.^[5][6] On 14 September, a FBP-initiated motion of no confidence in the Landtag against Büchel succeeded 17–8, thus the body requested his dismissal;^[7] Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein coincided the dismissal of the government with dissolving the Landtag, and as such calling for new elections.^[8]

The decision to dissolve the Landtag was criticized by members of the VU and Free List, but Hans-Adam II justified the decision as necessary to resolve the political deadlock that had been created by the loss of confidence.^[8][9] Büchel was kept in office until a new government was elected, during which time he countersigned the Constitution of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, which had not been discussed in the Landtag.^[10]

The 25 members of the Landtag are elected via open list proportional representation from two constituencies, Oberland with 15 seats and Unterland with 10 seats.^[11] 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.^[12] The electoral threshold to win a seat is 8%.^[11] Landtag members sit for a four-year term. Once formed, the Landtag elects the prime minister and four government councillors who govern in a cabinet.^[13] Voting is compulsory by law, and those who fail to vote without a valid reason may be fined, but this is no longer enforced.^[14] Citizens over 20 years of age who have been resident in the country for one month prior to election day were eligible to vote.^[15]

Josef Biedermann (left) and Mario Frick (right) were the FBP and VU's respective nominations for prime minister

The FBP nominated former Vice president of the Landtag Josef Biedermann for prime minister on 10 September 1993.^[16] Initially nominated as Büchel's replacement in the event of his removal as prime minister, Biedermann subsequently became the party's nomination for the position once early elections had been called, and his nomination was confirmed on 22 September.^[17][18] Additionally, the party nominated incumbent government councillors Kurt Korner and Cornelia Gassner as government candidates.^[19]

The VU nominated incumbent deputy prime minister Mario Frick for prime minister in late September 1993. Additionally, the party nominated incumbent government councillor Michael Ritter and Andrea Willi — the permeant representative of Liechtenstein to the European Free Trade Association — as government candidates.^[20]

The respective party programmes remained largely unchanged from the February 1993 election;^[21] both Frick and Biedermann held similar policies regarding the economy, European integration, and the revision of the Constitution of Liechtenstein following the 1992 constitutional crisis.^[1][22] In a debate on 17 October, the FBP defended its record and argued that withdrawing confidence in Büchel was a "win" for democracy and political accountability. Conversely, the VU put the affair into a negative light and stated that the party would restore stability.^[23]

The Free List presented its Landtag candidates on 30 September 1993, running a full list in the Oberland constituency.^[24] Similarly to the February election, the party renounced participation in government, but was open to if the VU and FBP failed to form a coalition.^[25] The Non-Party List (ÜLL) did not participate in the election.^[26]

Political parties must have the support of 30 voters from a constituency to be eligible to nominate a candidate list in it.^[14] A total of 69 candidates were presented for the election; 54 men and 15 women.^[26]

The VU received 50.1% of the vote, a 4.7% increase from February 1993, and won a majority of thirteen seats. The FBP won 41.3%, a 2.9% decrease from February 1993, and won eleven seats. The Free List saw its vote share decrease from 10.4% to 8.5% from February 1993 and won one seat, at a decrease of one.^[1][28]

A total of 12,017 ballots were cast, resulting in a 85.3% voter turnout.^[28]

More information Party, Votes ...

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Patriotic Union	78,898	50.12	13	+2
	Progressive Citizens' Party	65,075	41.34	11	–1
	Free List	13,447	8.54	1	–1
Total		157,420	100.00	25	0
Valid votes		11,799	98.19
Invalid/blank votes		218	1.81
Total votes		12,017	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		14,086	85.31
Source: Nohlen & Stöver[28]

Close

Following the election, Biedermann resigned as a government candidate.^[30] The VU invited the FBP to begin negotiations for a coalition government, which the FBP accepted.^[31] Kurt Korner also did not participate in the new government.^[32] The nomination of a new government candidate was put up to a party election by the FBP; the subsequent selection process between Thomas Büchel and Hubert Büchel voted in favour of Thomas Büchel.^[32] The VU and FBP entered into a renewed coalition government, ultimately under the leadership of Frick. As the junior party in the coalition, Büchel became deputy prime minister. The new government was sworn in on 15 December 1993.^[33][34]