1945 Liechtenstein general election

General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 29 April 1945.[1] Following the "silent elections" of 1939, they were the first to use the new proportional representation system. The Progressive Citizens' Party won eight of the 15 seats in the Landtag,[2] but remained in coalition with the Patriotic Union.[3]

1945 Liechtenstein general election
Liechtenstein
29 April 1945

15 seats in the Landtag
8 seats needed for a majority
PartyLeader % Seats +/–
FBP Josef Hoop 54.72 8 0
VU Otto Schaedler 45.28 7 0
Prime Minister before Prime Minister after
Josef Hoop
FBP
Josef Hoop
FBP

Electoral system

Previously voters had chosen members of the Landtag by writing the names of as many candidates on the ballot paper as there were seats in their constituency.[4] In the new system, parties put forward lists of candidates.[5] The lists served as the ballot papers, with voters submitting their favoured list to the ballot box.[5] Voters could also change the lists by crossing out names and adding others from other lists.[5] After the number of seats a party had won was decided, the candidates who had received the most votes after the voter amendments were elected.[5]

The threshold had been set at 18%, considered to be very high, primarily in order to prevent Nazi parties such as the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag.[1]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Progressive Citizens' Party1,55354.7280
Patriotic Union1,28545.2870
Total2,838100.00150
Valid votes2,83897.66
Invalid/blank votes682.34
Total votes2,906100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,08894.11
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By electoral district

Electoral district Seats Electorate Party Elected members Substitutes Votes % Seats
Oberland 9 2,032 Patriotic Union
  • Alois Ritter
  • Josef Sele
  • Florian Kindle
  • Heinrich Brunhart
  • Johann Wachter
  • Alois Wille
  • Alexander Sele
972 51.9 5
Progressive Citizens' Party
  • Ernst Risch
  • Louis Brunhart
901 48.1 4
Unterland 6 1,056 Progressive Citizens' Party
  • Eugen Schädler
  • Philipp Elkuch
  • Johann Georg Hasler
  • Franz Xaver Hoop
  • Rudolf Marxer
  • Oswald Bühler
652 67.6 4
Patriotic Union
  • Josef Marxer
  • Alois Hassler
  • Chrisostomus Oehri
  • Ludwig Marock
313 32.4 2
Source: Statistisches Jahrbuch 2005, Vogt[6]

Cultural depictions

The 1945 elections are depicted in the 1993 film Vent d'est, about a group of Russian collaborationist soldiers who sought asylum in Liechtenstein at the end of the war.

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1164 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1182
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1157
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p1158
  5. Nohlen & Stöver, p1159
  6. Vogt, Paul (1987). 125 Jahre Landtag. Vaduz: Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein.


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