Political participation of foreigners in Liechtenstein

The report summarizes the activities and findings of the one-and-a-half-year project and makes recommendations for improving political participation.

Around a third of adults living in Liechtenstein are unable to participate in political life. Either they do not have the right to do so, or they do not have access to the existing opportunities for participation. For Liechtenstein, this means foregoing forces that could contribute to the debate and work for the community. It also prevents the foreign population from feeling fully included and equal. Both the government's integration strategy and recommendations from European and international bodies encourage the country and municipalities to promote the political participation of everyone, especially foreigners.

The Association for Human Rights (VMR) is committed to protecting and promoting human rights in Liechtenstein in accordance with its mandate. This includes the topics of non-discrimination and the participation of foreigners. For "Diversity in Politics" (ViP) - a project of the Liechtenstein Women's Network Association - equal opportunities in political participation, in which different population groups are represented in political bodies, is a central concern. Due to this overlap in objectives, VMR and ViP decided in 2023 to work together on ways to improve the political participation of foreigners in Liechtenstein.

The aim was to initiate social discussion and, together with various stakeholder groups, to explore measures for greater political participation and involvement of foreigners in Liechtenstein. This final report presents the activities carried out, explains the findings and makes recommendations. From the perspective of the responsible organizations, the Association for Human Rights and the "Diversity in Politics" project, this is an initial impetus. This is linked to the call to pursue, examine in detail and implement the proposed courses of action at national and municipal level.
and implement them in detail.

-> Final report "Opportunities for the political participation of foreigners in Liechtenstein"

Media coverage:

Report by Radio Liechtenstein
Article 1FLTV
Article in Liechtensteiner Vaterland (subscription)
Article in Landesspiegel