Liechtenstein Unitary state

Structures and competences

Local level :

Liechtenstein is subdivided into 11 municipalities, most corresponding to a single town or city.

Each municipality has a council (Gemeinderat) and a mayor (Gemeindevorsteher, or Bürgermeister in Vaduz) elected by direct suffrage.

Liechtenstein has a strong municipal structure. Its constitution states that municipalities may only be created or merged by law, and that such a move requires the agreement of the majority of citizens. In addition, the municipalities have the right to participate in national legislative activity and a right to judicial remedy if they believe that a central government decision has infringed their rights.

At legislative elections, the 25 seats in the Landtag are placed up for re-election in two electoral districts – Oberland (15 seats) and Unterland (10 seats).

Despite their diminutive size in relation to the situation in other countries, Liechtenstein’s municipalities are relatively complex in form. Seven of them have one or more exclaves in addition to the main territory.

Some municipalities comprise multiple villages.