Otmar Hasler (born 28 September 1953) is a politician from Liechtenstein who served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 2001 to 2009. He was previously the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1995.

Early life and career

Hasler attended school in Eschen from 1966 to 1969 and then teacher training college in Rickenbach, Schwyz from 1969 to 1974. He was educated in secondary school teaching from 1975 to 1979 at the University of Freiburg and University of Burgundy. He worked as a teacher at the secondary school in Eschen from 1979 to 2001. Hasler was elected to the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1989 as a member of the Progressive Citizens' Party, where he served until 2001. He was President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from January to December 1995. In addition, he was president of the Progressive Citizens' Party from 1993 to 1995.

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein

Hasler was Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 5 April 2001 to 25 May 2009. His first term oversaw a FBP majority government, whereas in his second term he led a new coalition government with the Patriotic Union. In 2003, a referendum to adopt Hans-Adam II's revision of the constitution of Liechtenstein to expand his powers passed. The prince had threatened to abdicate and leave the country if the referendum did not result in his favour. In the run-up to the referendum, Hasler supported the proposed changes.

2008 tax affair

During Hasler's term, the 2008 Liechtenstein tax affair took place, where millions of euros belonging to hundreds of citizens living in Germany were channeled into the LGT Bank and other banks in Liechtenstein, taking advantage of Liechtenstein-based trusts to evade paying taxes in Germany. The affair overshadowed the previously planned visit of Hasler to Berlin on February 19, 2008, to meet with the minister of finance, Peer Steinbrück, and the chancellor, Angela Merkel. Merkel asked for help in the investigation and cooperation in prevention of tax evasion, pointing out that Liechtenstein provided the US Internal Revenue Service with some data but not the German Ministry of Finances. The newspaper Die Welt described the event as a "government crisis". As a result of the affair, Hasler's government entered negotiations with a number of countries to discuss tax avoidance issues. It reached an agreement with the United Kingdom in 2009 that will allow the about 5,000 British customers of Liechtenstein's banks that hold for them about £2-3 billion in secret accounts to come clear with British tax authorities under terms of a significantly reduced penalty. The agreement opened up Liechtenstein's banks to greater transparency, but remains controversial in Liechtenstein; some banks feared that clients would move their money elsewhere. Hasler resigned as prime minister on 8 February 2009 following the 2009 Liechtenstein general election, and was succeeded by Klaus Tschütscher on 25 March.

Later life

Otmar currently serves as a member of the board at the Kaiser Partner Privatbank in Vaduz. In 2023, Hasler was a co-founder and board member of the Liacht foundation, designed to financially support charitable organisations. He has been a board member of the organisation since.