Referenda in Liechtenstein were held on March 12, August 8 and December 8, 1961 [1] . In March, a referendum was held on the new Tax Code. The proposal was approved by 66.7% of the vote [1] . In August, a referendum was held on the law on land management, which was approved by 60.9% [1] . The third constitutional referendum was held in December and related to the law on hunting. It was approved by 51% of the vote. [1]
Content
Context
The March referendum concerns changes in the distribution of taxes between municipalities. This was an optional referendum of parliamentary origin: on January 30, 1961, the Landtag decided to submit a bill to vote in the context of Article 66 of the Constitution [2] .
The August referendum was held on a popular initiative proposing an amendment to the law on land management. Section 10 of the Liechtenstein Land Act of 1945 provided that owners who do not vote on land mergers are considered “votes in favor”. The initiative suggested, on the one hand, that owners who are not present during the voting should not be counted in the vote count, and on the other hand, that they could be represented in their absence. The progressive civic party and the National Peasant Association opposed this proposal [3] .
The last, December, constitutional referendum was also held on a popular initiative proposing an amendment to article 22 of the Constitution on hunting rights. By May 18, 1961, this legislative initiative overcame the required milestone of 600 signatures. The amendment required that hunting permits in the municipality be granted preferably to residents of the municipality. However, the Constitutional Court declared this initiative unconstitutional as discriminatory among citizens. A new popular constitutional initiative proposed amending Article 22 of the Constitution, linking hunting rights to the place of residence. The new initiative reached the established threshold of 900 registered signatures and was sent to the Landtag on October 5, 1961 in accordance with article 64.2 of the Constitution. Parliament rejected her, which led to the need for a referendum. This was the first vote after increasing the number of required signatures for constitutional amendments to 900 signatures. In addition, the referendum was the first, a positive decision of which was vetoed by the Prince of Liechtenstein [4] .
Results
Tax Code
| The choice | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|
| Behind | 1 952 | 66.7 |
| Vs | 975 | 33.3 |
| Invalid / Empty Newsletters | 120 | - |
| Total | 3 047 | 100 |
| Registered Voters / Turnout | 3,595 | 84.8 |
| Source: Démocratie Directe | ||
Land Management Law
| The choice | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|
| Behind | 1,548 | 60.9 |
| Vs | 993 | 39.1 |
| Invalid / Empty Newsletters | 159 | - |
| Total | 2,700 | 100 |
| Registered Voters / Turnout | 3 621 | 74.6 |
| Source: Démocratie Directe | ||
Hunt Act
| The choice | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|
| Behind | 1,416 | 51.0 |
| Vs | 1,359 | 49.0 |
| Invalid / Empty Newsletters | 136 | - |
| Total | 2 911 | 100 |
| Registered Voters / Turnout | 3 619 | 80,4 |
| Source: Démocratie Directe | ||
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook , pp1172-1173 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ↑ Steuergesetz Démocratie directe.
- ↑ Änderung des Abstimmungsverfahrens bei Güterzusammenleglegen Démocratie directe.
- ↑ Bindung der Jagdhoheit an den Grundbesitz Démocratie directe.