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The Telegraph The prince, the people and the pig's nose By Fiona Fleck in Vaduz (Filed: 15/03/2003) The people of Liechtenstein went to the polls yesterday to decide whether their ruling prince should become Europe's last absolute monarch, after a bitter campaign that shattered the Alpine calm with threats, insults and a dead cat. The referendum is the climax of a 10-year row between Prince Hans-Adam II, a billionaire entrepreneur who owns the largest bank in the tiny state, and his political foes. Mud-slinging and intimidation has divided families and friends. Many fear the peace and tranquility of their affluent, 62-square-mile tax haven squeezed between Switzerland and Austria has been shattered for ever. The 58-year-old prince, a man unaccustomed to making compromises, has threatened to abandon his subjects and retire to his palace in Vienna if they reject his package of constitutional amendments. "Many people will support the prince not because they agree with him but because they don't want him to leave - that's blackmail," said Mario Frick, a former prime minister who opposes the prince's proposals. Few Liechtensteiners are as outspoken as Mr Frick, not surprising since he recently found a pig's nose nailed outside his office, a reference to the German expression "keep your snout shut". An MP who voted against the princely proposals in parliament found a skinned cat in his back garden, while other opponents have received anonymous threats. The prince, who lives in a medieval castle overlooking the capital, Vaduz, has neither condemned such intimidation by his supporters nor condoned it. At the recent opening of parliament he called his political opponents "enemies of the principality" and "Nazis". He and his son, Crown Prince Alois, declined to speak to The Telegraph. A spokesman said they were tired of "distorted" reports in the foreign press. Not only is Prince Hans-Adam Europe's richest royal - he owns LGT banking group and has a personal fortune of more than #2 billion - but he is Europe's most powerful monarch with the unique distinction of having a country named after his family. No government or parliamentary decision in Liechtenstein is possible without the approval of the Princely House, the granting of which is not a formality. The prince wants to increase his powers, claiming the right to dismiss the government, even if it retains parliamentary confidence, and individual ministers subject to approval by MPs. He wants to be able to over-ride the constitution and give the royal family the right to choose the princely succession, but would grant the people the option of calling a referendum to abolish the monarchy. Alternative reforms, which would render the prince a mere constitutional monarch, have been put forward by the Citizens' Initiative for Peace, a cross-party group that includes Mr Frick. "He's very rich and he's very powerful," said Mr Frick. "And the crazy thing is he wants even more power". Constitutional experts from the Council of Europe agreed. They severely criticised the prince's proposals as "a serious step backward" that could isolate Liechtenstein. Prince Hans-Adam and Crown Prince Alois argue that their family and private wealth have been vital in making Liechtenstein one of the world's most affluent nations but that the constitution, drawn up in 1921, prevents them from fulfilling their duties. "For 300 years the princes of Liechtenstein have done their best to secure the interests and sovereignty of the land," the crown prince said in a television address to the 33,000 population. "A vote for our initiative means a vote for our country and our children." The 17,000 voters can choose the princely proposal, the counter option, or reject both. The polling stations will be open again tomorrow and the result should be known in the evening. 11 February 2001: Prince to people: 'I'll sell up to Bill Gates' 23 January 2000: Liechtenstein 'a magnet for money launderers' -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
