The Landtag elects and the Prince appoints the members of the Government and of the functionally independent judiciary. The Interior Ministry effectively oversees the regular and auxiliary police forces. There is no standing military force. Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed during recent decades from an agrarian society into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital service sector. It participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency.
Citizens enjoy a very high standard of living.
Unemployment was only 1.4 percent in 1997. The Government respects the human rights of its citizens provided for in the Constitution, and the law and judiciary provide effective means of dealing with individual instances of abuse. The Government is working to eliminate societal discrimination against women. There were no reports of political or other extrajudicial killings. There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.