Mario Frick (politician)

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Mario Frick (born 8 May 1965) is a Liechtenstein lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from December 1993 to April 2001. Before becoming prime minister, he briefly served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1993.

Frick grew up in Chur, Switzerland, and studied law at the University of St. Gallen, finishing in 1991. He was a member of the Balzers municipal council from 1991 to 1993.

At 28, Frick became Liechtenstein’s head of government, making him one of Europe’s youngest prime ministers. During his time in office, Liechtenstein joined the European Economic Area and the World Trade Organization in 1995. The country also faced several foreign and domestic challenges, including a long-running dispute with the Czech Republic over wartime property and a 2001 case at the International Court of Justice with Germany over royal property.

In 1997, the Progressive Citizens’ Party withdrew from the ruling coalition, and Frick led what was then Liechtenstein’s first non-coalition cabinet since 1938. The late 1990s brought the 1999–2001 financial crisis, and Liechtenstein was blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force in 2000. Frick’s government implemented reforms to address money laundering and other financial crime.

After leaving office, Frick remained active in public life. Since 2002 he has co-owned the law firm Advocatur Seeger, Frick & Partner in Schaan, and he chaired the Vaduzer Medienhaus AG from 2003 to 2009. He lives in Balzers with his wife, Andrea Haberlander, and their three children.

In 2014, his brother Jürgen was killed in Balzers, with the shooter later taking his own life. The shooter had previously tried to sue Frick in 2010, but the case was dismissed.