General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 19 and 20 April 1878 to elect 12 of the 15 members of the Landtag. The twelve seats were indirectly elected by electors selected by voters in two constituencies, Oberland and Unterland, while the remaining three were appointed by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Background Since the 1882 elections, princely-appointed Landtag member died in office in December 1882 and was succeeded by . In addition, elected member Peter Simon Marxer died in office in 1885 and was succeeded by Johann Gstöhl.
The Landtag's term was characterized by passing laws such as partial amendments to the provisions of stamp patenting in 1883 and taxation for judicial proceedings in 1884.
Electors Electors were selected through elections that were held between 6 and 10 April in two electoral districts, Oberland and Unterland; they elected 114 and 68 electors respectively. Each municipality had two electors for every 100 inhabitants. All male citizens aged 24 and above were eligible to vote.
MunicipalityElectors+/–Balzers240Eschen200Gamprin80Mauren200Planken20Ruggell120Schaan220Schellenberg80Triesen240Triesenberg220Vaduz200Total1820Source: Vogt
Results The election of Oberland's Landtag members and their deputies was held on 19 April in Vaduz Castle. Of Oberland's 114 electors, 112 were present for the voting; Oberland elected seven Landtag members and four deputies. The election of Unterland's Landtag members and substitutes was held on 20 April in Mauren. Of Unterland's 68 electors, 67 were present for voting; Unterland elected five Landtag members and two deputies.
The Landtag members and their deputies were elected in three ballots, with the remaining three being appointed by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein on 10 May. There were no political parties and the election of members was almost entirely focused on an individual's personality. Electoral districtSeatsElectorsTurnoutBallotsElected membersElected substitutesOberland71141121stJosef Tschetter2ndPeter RheinbergerJohann Alois Schlegel3rdWendelin ErniUnterland568671st–2nd–Wilhelm Fehr3rdChrisostomus BüchelJohann GstöhlSource: Vogt Albert Schädler, , and Wendelin Erni, alongside deputies and Johann Alois Schlegel did not accept their elections. Subsequently, deputies Josef Tschetter and Meinrad Ospelt were substituted in as full members. The third seat was left vacant.
Appointed by the prince Appointed memberMunicipalityWilhelm SchlegelVaduzJosef BeckSchaanJohann Georg MattMaurenSource: Vogt
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