Election News Snapshot - Liechtenstein

One of Europe's smallest nations, Liechtenstein, earlier this month elected a new Parliament, and with it a new Prime Minister. The winning party, the Patriotic Union - better known by its German abbreviation 'VU' - was the junior coalition partner in the last government, but managed to overtake the Progressive Citizens' Party (in German, FBP) with an outright majority of 13 seats in the 25 seat Landtag. As both the VU and FBP are center-right parties with "no major ideological differences," PM-designate and VU member Klaus Tschutscher has vowed to continue the coalition government. The only noticible distinction between the two parties has been Tschutscher's promise to work more closely with the US and European Union on tax-evasion issues resulting from Liechtenstein's banking secrecy laws. One might argue that stance puts the VU more in line with typical European Christian Democratic parties, making the FBP more of a National Conservative party, but that judgment is probably a huge leap. The social-democratic Free List also managed a mandate, garnering 8.9% of the vote.

Results of Parliamentary Election, 8 February 2009

• Patriotic Union-------------------13
• Progressive Citizens' Party------11
• Free List-----------------------------1