2022 Liechtenstein referendums

Exemption of pensioners from the annual health insurance deductible

26 June 2022
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 7,811 63.90% No 4,413 36.10% Valid votes 12,224 99.56% Invalid or blank votes 54 0.44% Total votes 12,278 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 20,580 59.66%
Yes   60–70%   50–60%

In 2021 elections to Landtag, the Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) won two of the 25 seats and became part of the opposition.[1]

The health insurance system in Liechtenstein has an annual medical deductible of 500 Swiss Francs payable by the insured person. During 2021, the DpL submitted a bill to the Landtag aimed at exempting people who have reached the retirement age of 65, which would result in annual cost for the government of approximately 3.5 million Swiss Francs. On 29 September 2021, the proposal was rejected by 10 votes for and 15 against.[2]

In response, in January 2022 the DpL announced its intention to organize a collection of signatures for a popular initiative. The project was submitted to the authorities and validated on 10 March 2022, paving the way for the collection period which ran from 18 March to the 29 April, with 2,846 validated signatures.[2][3]

Having collected the signatures of more than 1,000 registered voters in less than six weeks, the initiative was presented to the Landtag within the framework of article 64-2 of the constitution. The parliament rejected it on 4 May 2022 by 9 votes for and 16 against, resulting in it going to a popular vote.[4][5]

COVID-19 legislation

18 September 2022
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 6,366 47.27% No 7,101 52.73% Valid votes 13,467 99.30% Invalid or blank votes 95 0.70% Total votes 13,562 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 20,660 65.64%
Yes   50–60% No   50–60%

In order to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, on 9 September 2021, the government introduced the so-called 3G rule (for Getestete, Geimpfte, Genesene, i.e. in English Tested, Vaccinated, Recovered), with the aim of stemming the increase in cases of contamination and thus relieving the pressure on health personnel. The 3G rule prohibited access to public places and events to individuals who cannot prove a negative COVID-19 test or a certificate of vaccination or a document certifying that they have been infected with the disease but are now cured.[6]

The 3G rule was quickly changed into the 2G rule, the government removing by another order the possibility of accessing these places on presentation of a negative test. At the same time, new restrictions were added concerning events organized outdoors. These new measures applied from 15 December 2021 to 18 February 2022.[6]

Meanwhile, on 14 January 2022, more than 400 citizens filed a complaint with the State Court against these measures, which they considered liberticidal. Among the plaintiffs, there were several anti-vaccination groups. On 10 May, the Court declared the legal basis for these measures insufficient. The court expressed an understanding of the difficult decisions taken by the government in the context of the fight against the pandemic, but nevertheless found the order establishing the 2G rule incompatible with the law and the constitution.[6][7]

This decision forced the Landtag to amend the Health Act in June. The debates proved to be heated, with one parliamentarian going so far as to qualify the restrictions as a "surveillance system comparable to that of China", with part of parliament deeming the 3G rule sufficient. The Minister of Society and Culture, Manuel Frick, justified these measures by the need for the government to align itself if necessary with the measures taken by the neighbouring Switzerland, with which Liechtenstein is linked by a customs union and on which it depends entirely on matters of intensive care.[6][7]

The amendment was voted on 29 June with 18 votes for and 7 against. The proposal of the Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) to submit the law to a referendum was rejected the same day, the Landtag voting with 9 votes for and 16 against.[8] However, Mensch im Mittelpunkt (MiM), a small party created six months earlier, started collecting signatures in order to force a referendum on the new Health Law.[6][9] From 1 to 29 July, 3,570 signatures were collected and recognized as valid.[10] On 1 August, the government set the referendum for 18 September.[11]