General elections were held in
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
on 30 April 1877, with a second round on 18 October. The election was called following the dissolution of the
Landtag
A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
due to a currency crisis in the country. The Landtag election that took place on 30 April was suspended and did not resume until 18 October.
Background
From 1873 to 1876, the
Austro-Hungarian florin
The Austro-Hungarian gulden (German language, German), also known as the florin (German language, German & Croatian language, Croatian), forint (Hungarian language, Hungarian; ), or zloty (; ; ), was the currency of the Habsburg monarchy, lands of ...
, which was being used as legal tender in Liechtenstein since 1859, dropped in value by 10%.
This created disadvantages in trade between Liechtenstein and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, especially for the
Oberland region.
However, the
Unterland region did not see any visible losses as it mainly traded with the region of
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
.
In 1876, Liechtenstein gained monetary sovereignty in a renewed customs treaty with
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
.
This was followed by Liechtenstein adopting the
Swiss franc
The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...
as legal tender on 23 December 1876 following demands in the country for a stable gold currency.
The Unterland region opposed the adoption of the Swiss franc with region's four Landtag members resigning prior to the move.
In response, the Unterland region threatened in January 1877 to secede from Liechtenstein to join Austria if the Landtag is not dissolved and if the adoption of the Swiss franc is not annulled.
The remaining Landtag members resigned on 15 January, with
Prince Johann II dissolving the Landtag and suspending the adoption of the Swiss franc on 18 January.
Electors
Electors were selected through elections that were held between 22 March and 14 April. Each municipality had two electors for every 100 inhabitants.
Results
April election
The electors met on 30 April in
Vaduz
Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...
to elect twelve Landtag members and five substitute members. Of the 160 electors, 154 participated in the voting.
Eight elected as members on the first ballot:
*
* Wendelin Erni
* Markus Kessler, declined his election
*
* Wilhelm Schlegel
* Johann Georg Vogt
* Ferdinand Walser, declined his election
* Christoph Wanger
In the first ballot, eight out of twelve seats of the Landtag were already filled with all of the elected members being from the Oberland region. Electors from Unterland did not participate in the second ballot which resulted to the election being suspended due to a lack of quorum.
October election
The election of the Landtag continued on 18 October after negotiations between the representatives of Oberland and Unterland.
Of the 160 electors, 148 participated in the voting. The electors voted for the remaining six Landtag members in the first ballot. Five substitute members were also elected in the first and third ballots.
Elected as members
* Franz Josef Biedermann
*
Johann Georg Hasler
* Sebastian Heeb
* Jakob Kaiser
* Franz Josef Kind
*
Elected as substitutes in the first ballot
*
* Josef Gassner
*
Peter Rheinberger
Peter Rheinberger (3 January 1831 – 19 October 1893) was an engineer and captain in the Liechtenstein military. He later became a political figure and served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein. He was a member of the prominent Rheinberger family. ...
*
Elected as substitutes in the third ballot
* Alois Rheinberger
Aftermath
The newly elected Landtag decided to dissolve with new elections scheduled in 1878 and to create the two electoral districts of Oberland and Unterland.
References
Literature
*
Paul Vogt (1987). 1''25 Jahre Landtag. Hrsg. vom Landtag des Fürstentums Liechtenstein'' (2nd ed.).
{{Liechtenstein elections
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
1877 in Liechtenstein
Elections in Liechtenstein
Non-partisan elections
April 1877
October 1877