Luxembourg - 2014 Elections
On 19 July 2013, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg took a decision to dissolve the parliament as of 7 October and set the date of early parliamentary elections for 20 October 2013, following a high-level affair alleging that the security service agency was tapping politicians and that Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker had failed to exercise proper control over the intelligence agency.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg for 18 years, resigned over a spying scandal involving misconduct by the the secret service 11 July 2013. A probe concluded that he failed to inform the parliament of irregularities and illegalities conducted by the country's secrete services between 2004 and 2009. The probe showed that he had limited control over the country's security agency's illegal bugging of politicians, purchase of cars for private use, with allegations that it took payments and favors in exchange for access to local officials. Juncker denied any wrongdoing, but his center-right Christian Social People's Party (CSV) lost confidence in the parliament when the center-left Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) withdrew from the CSV-led coalition government over the scandal.
In spite of the scandal, Juncker was seen by many as a trustworthy politician capable of protecting Luxembourg's national interests in Europe and elsewhere. Europe's longest-serving leader faced a tough test as voters in Luxembourg went to the polls October 20, 2013. Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who had been in power since 1995, hoped to keep the job and lead a new government headed by his Christian Social People's Party. The elections, which had been scheduled to take place June 2014, were moved up following the scandal. The party of Luxembourg's veteran Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker came out top in elections, initial estimates showed, but Europe's longest-serving leader lost ground to other parties. Juncker's conservative CSV party won 33.4 percent of the vote, and 23 seats in the 60-seat parliament. This compared to 38 percent and 26 seats it won at the last election in 2009.
Nearly 238,600 voters were registered in 2013, or 6.6 percent higher than for the 2009 election. Each voter has as many votes as there are members to be elected in his or her constituency. Luxembourg has an obligatory voting system for citizens between the age of 18 and 75, thus guaranteeing a very high turnout each time. Votes by mail are only allowed for people over the age of 75 or living abroad, while unjustified failure to vote will result in a fine of at least 100 euros (137 U.S. dollars).
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