| freedom 2003-03-11 |
| The people of Liechtenstein may soon be voting for the right not to vote any more. Prince Hans-Adam II has called on his subjects to give him back his sovereign powers, making the world's fourth smallest country an absolute monarchy once again.
The nation's 17,000 voters go to the polls next week to choose whether to amend the 1921 constitution and give their monarch the right to dissolve the government. Hans-Adam has told the country's 33,000 inhabitants that if they do not comply, he will pack his bags and move to Vienna. Many of the locals fear for the future of their 62-square mile nation, should the prince decide to leave, and the row has developed into a bitter dispute amongst Liechtenstein's people. Hans-Adam has turned the country into a wealthy tax haven and, unusually, the world's leading producer of false teeth. His family fortune is estimated at around $2 billion. The 58-year-old's desire to assume total political control is resisted both domestically and internationally, however. The Council of Europe has warned that Liechtenstein may lose its membership if his proposals are passed. |