Luxembourg - Politics
The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy headed by a Grand Duke based on a parliamentary representative system. Legislative power is exercised both by the parliament and the government. Executive power is exercised by the government and the Grand Duke. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party that won the most seats in the parliament.
Luxembourg's political system has a strong local focus. National politicians very often begin their careers and establish their base serving as mayors, and members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected from one of four regions. The political culture favors consensus, and the parties coexist within the context of broad agreement on key issues, including the value of deep European integration. National elections are held at least every five years and municipal elections every six years.
The 60-member parliament is elected through an open list proportional system in 4 constituencies. The electoral system in Luxembourg has special features, whereby voters have three methods of filling in the ballot, including the panachage (cross-party voting) and have as many votes as the number of mandates in the given constituency. The constituencies have differing populations and the electoral law defines the number of mandates in each constituency. Political parties prefer when voters cast their votes for entire candidate lists and usually do not encourage individual candidate campaigning.
Political party financing is regulated primarily by the Law on the Financing of Political Parties and the electoral law, which contain provisions on state funding and campaign spending reimbursement, reporting by political parties, and oversight mechanisms. No formal limits are set on campaign spending, which is accounted for by political parties within general annual financial reporting.
Political parties which have put forward full candidate lists in all four constituencies in national elections and a full list in European Parliament elections and obtain at least two per cent of all the votes are entitled to receive annual state subventions. Parliamentary fractions of eligible parties receive supplementary state funding to cover their activities.
Virtually all print media have strong, publicly recognized party affiliation. The three main newspapers are Luxemburger Wort with a circulation of around 75,000 copies, Tagelblatt with a circulation of about 17,000, and Letzebuerger Journal around a circulation of 5,000. All newspapers receive substantial funding from the state. It is publicly acknowledged, both by parties and newspapers themselves that Luxemburger Wort supports CSV, Tagelblatt supports LSAP, and Letzebuerger Journal supports the Democratic Party.
Since the end of World War II the Christian Social Union (CSV) has been part of the governing coalitions and usually the dominant party. The only exception was from 1974-1979 when the CSV was in opposition to a governing coalition led by the Democratic Party (DP). The CSV resembles Christian democratic parties in other west European countries and enjoys broad popular support. Its leader, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, in power since 1995, was the longest serving head of government in the European Union.
The Socialist Party (LSAP) was a center-left party similar to most social democratic parties in Europe. Initially founded by a worker's movement and a main defender of universal suffrage in 1919, the LSAP defends state intervention in the economy and the sustainability of the welfare system. Part of the government from 1984 to 1999, it lost its junior coalition status to the Democratic Party but regained it in the 2004 elections. While in the opposition, the LSAP voiced opposition to U.S. action in Iraq.
The Democratic Party (DP) was a center-right party, drawing support from civil servants, the professions, and urban middle class. Like other west European liberal parties, it advocates both social legislation and minimum government involvement in the economy. It also was strongly pro-NATO. In the opposition from 1984 to 1999, the DP overcame the LSAP to claim the role of junior partner in the government from 1999-2004.
The Green Party has received growing support since it was officially formed in 1983. It opposes both nuclear weapons and nuclear power and supports environmental and ecological preservation measures. This party generally opposes Luxembourg's military policies, but it has shown some openness to peacekeeping missions. The ADR (Alternative Democratic Reform Party) when elected in 2004 was known as the Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights.
The government which came to power on 31 July 2004 following elections on 13 June 2004, was a coalition of the Christian Social Party (CSV) and the Socialist Party (LSAP), headed respectively by Jean- Claude Juncker (CSV), who was Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Jean Asselborn (LSAP) who was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Asylum. The Democratic Party (DP) (the previous coalition partner with the CSV) lost a significant number of seats at the elections and was now the main opposition party.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
