Liechtenstein adopts absolute primogeniture succession

On Liechtenstein's national day, Hereditary Prince Alois announced that the principality's rules of succession would be changed from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture, meaning the first-born child, regardless of sex, will inherit the throne. The change was approved by a two-thirds majority of eligible family members. It will apply only to future descendants of Alois and his wife, Hereditary Princess Sophie, so the current line of succession remains unchanged. Liechtenstein, a small Alpine nation of about 40,000 people, was the last European country to grant women the vote in 1984 and has an unusually powerful monarchy. The reform aligns Liechtenstein with other European monarchies that have already adopted gender-blind succession, and it comes amid domestic debate over the prince's broad constitutional powers.