a. Municipal Councils = Number listed on respective website subtracted by number of elected mayors (who serve as members on their respective local councils, but are elected separately from other council members) as of 2 April 2023.
The party was established in 1918 by middle class citizens and members of the agricultural community as a response to the formation of the Christian-Social People's Party (VP).[9] In addition to being linked to the commercial and rural environment, the party was also firmly anchored in the clergy. It won the majority of the elected the 1918 elections,[10] but the VP formed a government following the November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch.[11]
The VP won elections in 1922, January 1926 and April 1926, but the FBP won the 1928 elections, and became the party of government until 1938,[11] with Josef Hoop serving as prime minister until 1945. In 1938 the FBP allowed the Patriotic Union (VU) to join it in a coalition government. The two parties governed in coalition until the 1997 elections,[12] after which the Patriotic Union formed a government. The FBP won the 2001 elections and its leader Otmar Hasler became prime minister. Following the 2005 elections the coalition was renewed,[12] with Hasler remaining prime minister. The VU's Klaus Tschütscher held the post between 2009 and 2013, after which FBP leader Adrian Hasler became prime minister.
In the 2017 state election, the FBP lost 4.8% of the vote and was awarded only nine of the 25 seats. However, it remained the party with the most votes in the state parliament, as the Patriotic Union only gained slightly and still had eight Landtag members.[13]
In the 2021 state elections, Adrian Hasler and government councilor Mauro Pedrazzini (also a FBP member) decided not to run for government again after eight years. With Sabine Monauni, the FBP nominated a woman as prime minister candidate for the state elections for the first time. The party nominated Katrin Eggenberger and Manuel Frick as further candidates for the government.
The FBP won 35.9% of the votes in the 2021 state elections and won 10 seats in the Landtag. Mathematically, the FBP was elected by around 100 voters (0.6%) more. The discrepancy arose from the fact that the voters in the Oberland, with 15 votes per ballot paper, had a higher weight on the total party vote result than the voters in the Unterland with ten votes per person. Voter turnout was stable at 78.0%. The FBP and VU formed a coalition government, which appointed Monauni as deputy prime minister.[14] If she had become prime minister, she would have been the first female to hold the position.[15]
Ideology and policy
The FBP tends to be conservative on social/cultural issues. As for economic issues, it is economically liberal but also claims to follow a social market economy policy.[16] The party states its policies are based on Christian values such as solidarity, respect and justice.[16] It also advocates a dualistic form of government, claiming to support both the monarchy and the people as sovereigns.[16]
The FBP was an early proponent of the introduction of women's suffrage to Liechtenstein, starting in 1970. However, two separate referendums on the issue were rejected by male-only voters in 1971 and 1973 respectively.[17] The Women in the FBP group was founded in September 1982 to represent women's issues within the party, and also to further advocate for the introduction of women's suffrage.[18] The party then again proposed the issue to the Landtag of Liechtenstein in December 1983 and again in April 1984.[17] Following a successful referendum (among men only) in July 1984, women's suffrage was introduced to Liechtenstein.[19]
Response to the candidate survey conducted by the Youth wing of the Free List party (leading up to the 2021 general election), containing the following question: Should same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples in all areas?[24]
Signatories on a motion submitted on 21 September 2022 (i.e., to ask the Landtag to introduce legislation that would legalize same-sex civil marriage)[26][27][28]
15 / 25
(60%)
10 / 10
(100% of sitting members, excluding their three (3) substitute members)
2 / 10
(20% of sitting members, excluding their three (3) substitute members)
The FBP also voted en bloc with the Free List (FL) party on 6 May 2022 to narrowly defeat a proposed legislation (i.e., Amendment to the Article 25 of the Partnership Act) that would have limited adoption and reproductive rights of same-sex couples.[30][31][32]
^"History". Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Government of Liechtenstein Marketing. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
^Vincent E McHale (1983) Political parties of Europe, Greenwood Press, p609 ISBN0-313-23804-9
