Ernst Joseph Walch (born 12 May 1956) is a politician from

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 ...

who served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1993. He also served in the

Landtag of Liechtenstein The Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein () is the unicameral parliament of Liechtenstein. Qualifications Citizens who have attained the age of 18, have permanent residency in the country and have lived in the country for at least on ...

from 1989 to 1996.

Early life

He studied law in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

, where he earned his doctorate in 1980, and at the

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

, Graduate Division, Institute of Comparative Law, where he received his Master of Comparative Jurisprudence in 1981. He was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1983 and in Liechtenstein in 1984.

Career

He was a member of the

from

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

to 1996 as a member of the

Progressive Citizens' Party The Progressive Citizens' Party in Liechtenstein (, FBP) is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Liechtenstein, political party in Liechtenstein. The FBP is one of the two major party, major List of political parties in Liech ...

. He was the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from February 1993 to October 1993. From 1983 to 1993 Walch represented the Progressive Citizens' Party as member of the

Steering committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

of the

European Democrat Union The European Democrat Union (EDU) was one of the three European wings of the International Democrat Union, along with the European People's Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party). Its members included Christia ...

. He served as the Liechtenstein

minister of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 2001 to 2005 in the first Otmar Hasler cabinet. Walch belongs to various professional organizations, including the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, the Liechtenstein Law Society and the German-Austrian-Swiss Registered Association of Lawyers (DACH). He is also a certified interpreter and translator for

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. In addition, he has authored numerous publications on international legal issues, notably

international commercial law International commercial law is a body of legal rules, conventions, treaties, domestic legislation and commercial customs or usages, that governs international commercial or business transactions. A transaction will qualify to be international if ...

. He is a partner in the Liechtenstein law firm Walch & Schurti. From 2006 Walch was a member of the board of directors of the

Liechtensteiner Volksblatt The ''Liechtensteiner Volksblatt'' was a daily newspaper serving Liechtenstein. It was published by the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt AG, and as of 2015, had a circulation of 9,000 copies. The editorial office was located in Schaan Schaan (; dia ...

until it ceased operations in March 2023 due to declining subscriptions and rising costs. On 13 August 2024, the Progressive Citizens' Party nominated Walch for

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein The head of government of Liechtenstein (), known informally as the prime minister, is the chief executive of the Government of Liechtenstein and chairs the cabinet of Liechtenstein. They are appointed by the sovereign prince of Liechtenstein ...

in the

2025 Liechtenstein general election General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 9 February 2025 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein, Landtag. The Patriotic Union (Liechtenstein), Patriotic Union (VU) won 10 seats, while the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) ...

. At 68 years old, he is the oldest candidate in Liechtenstein's history.

Personal life

Walch married Margrit Keller (10 December 1955 – 2024) on 22 November 1980 and they had six children together. She died of cancer in 2024.

Honours

* : Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (1994)

References

External links

Walch & Schurti
��attorneys at law {{DEFAULTSORT:Walch, Ernst Joseph Presidents of the Landtag of Liechtenstein 1956 births Living people Liechtenstein diplomats Liechtenstein lawyers New York University School of Law alumni Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1989–1993) Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1993–1997) Presidents of the Progressive Citizens' Party 21st-century Liechtenstein government councillors Foreign ministers of Liechtenstein Progressive Citizens' Party members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein law firm executives