General election
Traffic light voted out in Luxembourg: Xavier Bettel’s government alliance loses its majority
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (center) and his husband Gauthier Destenay cast their vote
© JOHANNA GERON / AFP
The traffic lights in Luxembourg have been voted out. The Greens lost so badly in the parliamentary election that the traffic light no longer has a majority. The Christian Socialists are back.
The conservative Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), in opposition since 2013, is clearly the strongest party with 21 seats. CSV top candidate Luc Frieden said: “The people of Luxembourg have given the CSV a clear mandate to form the next government.” His goal is to form a strong majority in the next parliament “that also fits together thematically.” He will tackle this task in the next few hours.
Xavier Bettel’s coalition voted out – but still satisfied with the party result
Based on the election results, an alliance with the second strongest party, the Liberals (Democratic Party/DP), is most likely. However, a coalition between the CSV and the Social Democrats (LSAP) is also mathematically possible.
According to the election management, the Greens lost five mandates compared to the 2018 election – and only got four seats. The Liberals won 14 seats (plus 2), the Social Democrats 11 seats (plus 1). The CSV remained stable with 21 mandates. The right-wing ADR gained 5 mandates (plus 1).
Prime Minister Bettel, 50, of the Liberals was pleased with the good result for his party. “We are the party of the major parties that has gained the most. I think that after such an election result, we should be ready to take on responsibility in the next government,” he told his party’s supporters. “The DP has a responsibility to carry on.” The Social Democrats’ top candidate, Paulette Lenert, also stated: “We are there. We are ready to discuss.”
Fratelli d’Italia success
Right-wing parties in Europe: Where the continent is listed
Compulsory voting in Luxembourg
The Green Party’s top candidate, Sam Tanson, said of her party’s poor result: “It was of course a huge disappointment. I had hoped to deliver a better result.” And the Green Mobility Minister François Bausch said: “This is a real defeat that we have suffered today.” Many have decided to “blow the Greens out of the government as the smallest part.” In his opinion, a two-party coalition between CSV and the liberal DP is now emerging.
A return of the CSV to government after ten years of opposition was the declared goal of the party’s top candidate, Luc Frieden. After the 2013 election, the CSV failed to find a governing majority with former Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker. Frieden, 60, is known as an accomplished former finance minister in Luxembourg.
Around 284,000 eligible voters were called to vote in Luxembourg on Sunday to elect a new parliament. In the second smallest country in the EU with around 660,000 inhabitants, voting is compulsory. Voter turnout in 2018 was around 90 percent.
The complicated electoral system in Luxembourg not only allows the election of party lists, but also the allocation of votes to individual politicians from different parties. The counting of votes therefore lasted until late in the evening. The polling stations were open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.