Yearbook 2007
Liechtenstein. According to
CountryAAH, Liechtenstein suffered an unplanned invasion during
the year, when a group of infantrymen from neutral
Switzerland perpetrated two kilometers across the border.
They quickly returned when they realized their mistake. The
incident had nothing to do with the fact that, thanks to new
measurement methods, Liechtenstein's limits had recently been found to
be 1.9 kilometers longer than previously thought. The
country thus became a half square kilometer larger but still
retained its place as the sixth to the surface smallest
nation in the world.
The March 2005 parliamentary elections had a high turnout of
87%. The winner was the Party of Progressive Citizens (PDB)
with 48.7% of the vote followed by the People's Union (VU)
with 38.2%. The Environmental Party (FL) got 13%. In
November, a referendum on the introduction of free abortion
and active euthanasia was conducted. Both proposals were
voted down by 81.3% of the vote.
In March 2006, the OECD released a list of countries that
continue to refuse to participate in international
cooperation in the fight against economic crime. Together
with 4 other Western countries, Liechtenstein appeared on
the list. The country wants to maintain its low corporate
tax rate and unconditional banking secrecy. It hinders the
investigation of the origin of foreign deposits in the
country's banks. The origins are often criminal activities.
In 2008, a former employee of LGT Banken sold information
on bank deposits. The information revealed that German and
North American citizens, in particular, had cheated their
tax authorities for millions. The scandal got a special
character because the LGT Bank is owned by the country's
prince family, who responded again by accusing Germany of
trading stolen data. However, the scandal also led to
Liechtenstein agreeing to step up its oversight of foreign
accounts to prevent money laundering.
The February 2009 parliamentary elections gave rise to
the People's Union, which went from 10 to 13 seats. The
party's chairman, Klaus Tschütscher, took over the post of
prime minister in March.
A referendum in June 2011 approved the introduction of a
registered partnership. On the other hand, the proposal to
introduce free abortion declined.
With the 2003 Constitution, the Duke has extensive veto
options against the laws passed by Parliament. In July 2012,
a constitutional amendment was sent to a referendum to limit
the Duke's veto power. The proposal was voted down by 76.4%
of voters.
The February 2013 parliamentary election was won by the
Conservative PDB, which got 40% of the vote. New Prime
Minister became party leader Adrian Hasler. The former
government party VU declined from 47.6% to 33.5%. The newly
started protest party The Independents entered parliament
with 15.3% of the vote. The electorate was generally
dissatisfied with the harsh crisis policy that the
Government had been responsible for.
The February 2017 parliamentary elections only provided
minimal shifts. The ruling party FBP withdrew 1 mandate but
continued as a government.
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