Liechtenstein moves to change succession laws, paves way for women on throne

Liechtenstein's royal house announced on Saturday that its rules of succession will be altered to permit women to inherit the principality's throne in the future. Hereditary Prince Alois made the announcement during his speech commemorating the country's national day. He revealed that the change was approved by a two-thirds majority of voting family members on Wednesday.

According to a statement from his remarks on the princely house's website, the vote enabled all female descendants of the Princely House to possess equal participation rights in matters governed by the House Law as their male counterparts. Prince Alois elaborated that the line of succession would shift from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture.

This means that in the future, the first-born child, irrespective of gender, will become the heir to the throne and later the princess or prince of Liechtenstein. The modification is not expected to impact the top of the line of succession in the immediate future. Prince Hans-Adam II currently serves as the head of state, but in 2004, he ceded most of his powers to his eldest son, Alois, who is 58 years old.

This action aligned with the Liechtenstein monarchic tradition of transferring power to heirs. Alois' eldest child, Prince Joseph Wenzel, is 31 years old. Liechtenstein, a prosperous nation of 40,000 inhabitants situated between Switzerland and Austria, boasts an exceptionally potent monarchy compared to European standards. The ruling prince holds the authority to overturn referendum outcomes, appoint judges, and dismiss the government.

The country has long been conservative, granting women the right to vote in national elections in 1984, following a narrowly approved referendum where male voters backed the change, which Hans-Adam had also supported. In 2022, Brigitte Haas became Liechtenstein's first female prime minister.