# 1945 Liechtenstein general election

General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 29 April 1945. Following the "silent elections" of 1939, they were the first to use the new proportional representation system. The Progressive Citizens' Party won eight of the 15 seats in the Landtag, but remained in coalition with the Patriotic Union. Voter turnout was 94.1%, although only male citizens were allowed to vote.
The elections were originally set to be held in 1943, as per the constitution of Liechtenstein. However, at the request of both parties, Franz Joseph II extended the government's term indefinitely while there was ongoing threat from Nazi Germany, primarily to prevent the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag.

## Electoral system

Previously voters had chosen members of the Landtag by writing the names of as many candidates on the ballot paper as there were seats in their constituency. In the new system, parties put forward lists of candidates. The lists served as the ballot papers, with voters submitting their favoured list to the ballot box. Voters could also change the lists by crossing out names and adding others from other lists. After the number of seats a party had won was decided, the candidates who had received the most votes after the voter amendments were elected.
The threshold had been set at 18%, considered to be very high, primarily in order to prevent Nazi parties such as the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag.

## Candidates

| Oberland | FBP | VU |
| Oberland | David Strub Bernhard Risch Richard Meier Ernst Risch Fidel Brunhart Louis Brunhart Josef Negele Franz Eberle Johann Beck | Alois Ritter Josef Sele Franz Hilbe Alois Willie Florian Kindle Heinrich Andreas Brunhart Alois Schädler Johann Wachter Alexander Sele |
| Unterland | FBP | VU |
| Unterland | Eugen Schädler Rudolf Marxer Oswald Bühler Johann Georg Hasler Franz Hoop Phillip Elkuch | Josef Marxer Arnold Hoop Chrisostomus Öhri Alois Hassler Anton Gchächle Ludwig Marock |
| Source: Liechtensteiner Volksblatt |||

## Results

| | Progressive Citizens' Party | 1,553 | 54.72 | 8 | 0 |
| | Patriotic Union | 1,285 | 45.28 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 2,838 | 100.00 | 15 | 0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,838 | 97.66 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 68 | 2.34 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,906 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 3,088 | 94.11 | | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver ||||||

### By electoral district

| Electoral district | Seats | Electorate | Party | Elected members | Substitutes | Votes | % | Seats |
| Oberland | 9 | 2,032 | Patriotic Union | Alois Ritter Josef Sele Florian Kindle Heinrich Andreas Brunhart Johann Wachter | Alois Wille Alexander Sele | 972 | 51.9 | 5 |
| Oberland | 9 | 2,032 | Progressive Citizens' Party | David Strub Johann Beck Fidel Brunhart Josef Negele | Ernst Risch Louis Brunhart | 901 | 48.1 | 4 |
| Unterland | 6 | 1,056 | Progressive Citizens' Party | Eugen Schädler Philipp Elkuch Johann Georg Hasler Franz Xaver Hoop | Rudolf Marxer Oswald Bühler | 652 | 67.6 | 4 |
| Unterland | 6 | 1,056 | Patriotic Union | Josef Marxer Alois Hassler | Chrisostomus Öhri Ludwig Marock | 313 | 32.4 | 2 |
| Source: Statistisches Jahrbuch 2005, Vogt ||||||||||

## Cultural depictions

The 1945 elections are depicted in the 1993 film Vent d'est, about a group of Russian collaborationist soldiers who sought asylum in Liechtenstein at the end of the war.