NEW GOVERNMENT FORMED IN LIECHTENSTEIN

UNCLAS BERN 000132

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y -- PARA 1 MISSING TEXT

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL LS
SUBJECT: NEW GOVERNMENT FORMED IN LIECHTENSTEIN

REF: BERN 62

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NEW GOVERNMENT SWORN-IN ON MARCH 25
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1. (SBU) The Patriotic Union (Vaterlaendische Union,
VU) party of Liechtenstein won an absolute majority of
parliamentary (Landtag) seats in the February 8
national elections (reftel). In the wake of this
surprising outcome, the VU could have opted to seek to
form a government alone, without the participation of
Liechtenstein's other major political party, the
Progressive Citizen's Party (FBP). However, referring
to campaign promises, VU lead candidate -- and
Liechtenstein's new prime minister -- Klaus
Tschuetscher negotiated with the FBP to form a
coalition government. Former PM Otmar Hasler's FBP
party was the senior party in Liechtenstein's previous
FBP-VU coalition.


2. (U) On March 25, the Landtag confirmed the new
VU-FBP coalition government in a vote of 24 to 1, and
the 42-year-old Tschuetscher was sworn in as
Liechtenstein's new prime minister by Hereditary
Prince Alois. Tschuetscher subsequently administered
the oaths of office to the other four government
ministers. Under the VU-FBP coalition agreement, the
VU has the prime ministership and two other
ministerial positions in the government; the FBP has
two minister posts. Below is a list of the ministers
and their portfolios:

-- Dr. Klaus Tschuetscher (VU): Prime Minister,
Minister of Finance, Minister of General Government
Affairs, Minister of Family Affairs and Equal
Opportunity;

-- Dr. Martin Meyer (FBP): Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister of Economics, Minister of Transportation,
Minister of Construction and Public Works;

-- Hugo Quaderer (VU): Minister of Home Affairs,
Minister of Education, Minister of Sports;

-- Dr. Renate Muessner (VU): Minister of Health,
Minister of Social Affairs, Minister of Environmental,
Land Use Planning, Agricultural and Forestry Affairs;

-- Dr. Aurelia Frick (FBP): Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Cultural
Affairs.

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ON FM FRICK
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3. (U) Liechtenstein's 34-year-old new Foreign
Minister, Aurelia Frick, studied law at the University
of Fribourg, Switzerland. She began her professional
career working for her family's company in the special
purpose vehicles industry. She also has worked for a
corporate law firm in Zurich, a London-based
recruitment and consultancy firm, and the
international advisory group Bjoern Johansson
Associates. At the beginning of 2008, Frick started
her own management consultancy firm in Liechtenstein
and began lecturing at Liechtenstein's Institute of
Applied Sciences.

CARTER