Europe's Richest Monarchy Faces Abortion Showdown – And the Prince Has Already Threatened a Veto

Liechtenstein rarely makes headlines. With just over 40,000 residents, the tiny principality nestled between Switzerland and Austria tends to lead a quiet existence. But now a political storm is brewing that could escalate into a full-blown constitutional crisis. The issue? Abortion. And the man at the center of it all is the country's hereditary prince, Alois.

A citizens' initiative is currently gathering signatures to legalize abortion in Liechtenstein, modeled after Switzerland's time-limit solution. Currently, abortion is almost completely banned in the principality, forcing women who need the procedure to travel to Switzerland or Austria. The initiative committee told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday that the required 1,000 signatures are nearly collected, with the collection period running until the end of July. A vote could take place as early as November.

In Switzerland, the case would be clear: if the people say yes, abortion becomes legal. But Liechtenstein operates differently. Hereditary Prince Alois, who runs the country's day-to-day affairs, told the local newspaper Liechtensteiner Vaterland that he would exercise his veto if the initiative passes. That veto could override and annul the popular decision.

The move shines a spotlight on a royal house that is very wealthy, very Catholic, and very powerful. Most European monarchies have little political influence today. Monaco's prince is an exception, but even he does not wield the sweeping powers of his Liechtenstein counterpart.

Since a constitutional reform in 2003, Prince Hans-Adam II and his eldest son Alois, who has managed day-to-day affairs since 2004, can block decisions of both the people and parliament. They can dissolve parliament, dismiss the government, and, if necessary, rule by emergency decree. These are powers that recall the age of absolutism and have drawn frequent criticism. But the population has always followed the palace's lead, partly because the prince has repeatedly threatened to withdraw or even move away, and many Liechtensteiners cannot imagine their principality without its royal house.

Liechtenstein is closely tied to Switzerland in many ways. A customs and monetary union has existed since 1924. The local football club, FC Vaduz, has repeatedly been promoted to the Swiss Super League. Mentally, many in the wealthy principality feel close to Switzerland. But the royal family leans Austrian. The dynasty's ancestral seat is not the castle in Vaduz but Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria. The family long resided in Vienna. It was only with Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 that the then-ruling prince, Franz Josef II, moved the family residence to the Rhine valley, where they have lived ever since.

His son Hans-Adam chafed at Switzerland's dominance. In 1970, the then 25-year-old hereditary prince declared in a speech that Liechtenstein must step out of Switzerland's "backpack" in foreign policy. Just a year after taking office as prince in 1989, the principality joined the UN – twelve years before Switzerland. And just one week after the Swiss rejected EEC membership in December 1992, Liechtenstein's voters said yes to joining the European Economic Area, integrating into the EU's internal market. That decision had already brought the country to the brink of crisis, as Hans-Adam II had pushed through the vote against the concerns of government and parliament. As a result, the prince and his son launched the constitutional reform that cemented their current powers. Voters were only given the option to abolish the monarchy entirely. The so-called "Prince's Initiative" passed with 64.3 percent in 2003, while a counter-proposal failed with more than 80 percent against.

These decisions were not entirely voluntary. Hans-Adam had threatened to move to Vienna if his initiative failed – a threat that clearly influenced his subjects. The following year, he transferred day-to-day affairs to his son Alois, though he remained head of state.

Since stepping back from daily politics, the highly business-minded Hans-Adam has focused on expanding the family's wealth. This includes the private bank LGT, which is wholly owned by the royal house. Observers consider Liechtenstein's ruling family to be the richest monarchy in Europe.

The 58-year-old Hereditary Prince Alois is far more approachable than his distant father. "His Serene Highness" even allows his subjects to address him informally. But when it comes to his Catholic convictions, there is no room for compromise. This was demonstrated in 2011, when the country first voted on abortion. Alois threatened a veto, and the people "obeyed." The initiative was narrowly rejected by 52 percent, and voter turnout was notably low. The following year, a new initiative sought to abolish the princely veto. Again, the palace threatened to move away – and again, the proposal failed.

The royal family does not resist modernization entirely. Two years ago, when parliament legalized same-sex marriage, there was no objection from the palace. Only the adoption of children by homosexual couples remains taboo. Abortions performed abroad have been decriminalized for several years, and Prince Alois has expressed openness to lifting the existing ban on information about abortion – a prohibition that seems anachronistic in any case. But otherwise, the palace insists that "the central legal principle of the protection of life" must remain.

The people, however, appear to disagree. According to a survey by the Liechtenstein Institute, 62 percent support a time-limit solution. If voters ignore the princely veto threat and approve the initiative, Liechtenstein will be plunged into a full constitutional crisis. The clocks may tick differently there, but they cannot tick forever.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com