Luxembourgian legislative election, 2009
Encyclopedia
Legislative elections were held in Luxembourg
on 7 June 2009, together with the 2009 election
to the European Parliament
. All sixty members of the Chamber of Deputies
were elected for five years. The polls were topped by the Christian Social People's Party
, which built upon its already high number of seats to achieve a commanding victory, with the highest vote share and number of seats of any party since 1954
.
, of which, five were already represented in the Chamber of Deputies: the Christian Social People's Party
(CSV), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
(LSAP), the Democratic Party
(DP), the Greens
, and the Alternative Democratic Reform Party
(ADR). Two parties that were not then represented also ran: The Left
and the Communist Party
(KPL). In addition, the Citizens' List
, which was headed by current independent
deputy Aly Jaerling
, ran in two constituencies.
, Est
, Nord
, and Sud
. Voters may vote for as many candidates as the region elects Deputies. The number of voters cast for each party therefore cannot be stated.
. Only four communes didn't register pluralities for the CSV (down from seven in 2004). Wiltz
in the north and Dudelange
, Kayl
, and Rumelange
in the southern Red Lands
voted for the LSAP.
The CSV's performance improved most markedly in Centre
, where it increased its vote from 35.5% to 38.6%. In Centre, the CSV received almost twice as many votes as the Democratic Party in , only ten years after the DP won a plurality by over 2%. It gained one extra seat in Centre, and another in Est
.
appointed as formateur
and likely to remain as Prime Minister. Before the election, Juncker, Europe's longest-serving head of government
, had told his party that he intended to step down as Minister for Finances, to be replaced by Luc Frieden
. This brought into question his chairmanship of the Europe-wide Eurogroup, which he had chaired since 2005. However, he has since stated that he would remain in charge of monetary policy
and relations with the European Central Bank
.
The CSV was in a strong enough position to form a coalition with any one of three parties: LSAP (partner in the Juncker-Asselborn Ministry I), the DP (partner in the Juncker-Polfer Ministry
), and the Greens (who have never entered the government). However, the DP and Greens have both ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the CSV, leaving only the previous coalition partners, LSAP, in the running. The CSV and LSAP formed a coalition agreement, with Juncker as Prime Minister and Jean Asselborn as Deputy Prime Minister, with the new government forming on 23 July.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
on 7 June 2009, together with the 2009 election
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. All sixty members of the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg
The Chamber of Deputies , abbreviated to the Chamber, is the unicameral national legislature of Luxembourg. 'Krautmaart' is sometimes used as a metonym for the Chamber, after the square on which the Hôtel de la Chambre is located....
were elected for five years. The polls were topped by the Christian Social People's Party
Christian Social People's Party
The Christian Social People's Party , abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian Democratic and conservative ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, it is strongly pro-European...
, which built upon its already high number of seats to achieve a commanding victory, with the highest vote share and number of seats of any party since 1954
Luxembourgian legislative election, 1954
Legislative elections were held in Luxembourg on 30 May 1954. Voters elected all 52 members of the Grand Duchy's unicameral national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.-Results:...
.
Parties
Seven parties ran candidates in all four circonscriptionsLegislative circonscriptions (Luxembourg)
A legislative circonscription is a multi-member electoral constituency that elects representatives to Luxembourg's unicameral national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies....
, of which, five were already represented in the Chamber of Deputies: the Christian Social People's Party
Christian Social People's Party
The Christian Social People's Party , abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian Democratic and conservative ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, it is strongly pro-European...
(CSV), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party , abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social democratic political party in Luxembourg.The LSAP is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, having won 13 of 60 seats at the 2009 election, and has one seat in the European Parliament...
(LSAP), the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Luxembourg)
The Democratic Party , abbreviated to DP, is the major liberal political party in Luxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on the centre-right, holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights, and internationalism.Founded in...
(DP), the Greens
The Greens (Luxembourg)
The Greens is a Luxembourgian green political party.-1983-1993:The Greens were originally founded in 23 June 1983. In the 1984 election, the party got two seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In 1985, however the party split between two parties one called 'GLEI' and the other called 'GAP'...
, and the Alternative Democratic Reform Party
Alternative Democratic Reform Party
The Alternative Democratic Reform Party , abbreviated to ADR, is a conservative political party in Luxembourg. It has four seats in the sixty-seat Chamber of Deputies, making it the fifth-largest party....
(ADR). Two parties that were not then represented also ran: The Left
The Left (Luxembourg)
The Left is a left-wing and socialist political organisation in Luxembourg. The Left was formed on 30 January 1999 by a group of like minded activists, many of them affiliated with existing political parties, notably the Communist Party of Luxembourg , the New Left, the Revolutionary Socialist...
and the Communist Party
Communist Party of Luxembourg
The Communist Party of Luxembourg , abbreviated to KPL or PCL, is a communist political party in Luxembourg.Ali Ruckert is the current chairman of the party.- History :...
(KPL). In addition, the Citizens' List
Citizens' List
The Citizens' List is a Luxembourgian political party. It was founded in the run-up to the 2009 Chamber of Deputies election and European election...
, which was headed by current independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
deputy Aly Jaerling
Aly Jaerling
Alphonse 'Aly' Jaerling is a Luxembourgian politician. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies from 1999, when he was first elected for the Alternative Democratic Reform Party until 2009...
, ran in two constituencies.
| List # | Party | Running in | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Circonscription Centre (Luxembourg) Circonscription Centre is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch, both of which are in the district of Luxembourg. , Centre has an estimated population of 151,166, or 33% of Luxembourg's total... |
Est Circonscription Est (Luxembourg) Circonscription Est is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Echternach, Grevenmacher, and Remich. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the district of Grevenmacher... |
Nord Circonscription Nord (Luxembourg) Circonscription Nord is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Clervaux, Diekirch, Redange, Vianden, and Wiltz. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the district of Diekirch. , Nord has an estimated population of... |
Sud Circonscription Sud (Luxembourg) Circonscription Sud is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.The constituency includes the cantons of Capellen and Esch-sur-Alzette, both of which are in the district of Luxembourg... |
2004 Luxembourgian legislative election, 2004 Legislative elections were held in Luxembourg on 13 June 2004. Voters elected all 60 members of the Grand Duchy's unicameral legislature, the Chamber of Deputies... |
Pre-election | |||
| 1 | Communist Party Communist Party of Luxembourg The Communist Party of Luxembourg , abbreviated to KPL or PCL, is a communist political party in Luxembourg.Ali Ruckert is the current chairman of the party.- History :... (KPL) |
 |
|
|
|
0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Greens The Greens (Luxembourg) The Greens is a Luxembourgian green political party.-1983-1993:The Greens were originally founded in 23 June 1983. In the 1984 election, the party got two seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In 1985, however the party split between two parties one called 'GLEI' and the other called 'GAP'... |
|
|
|
|
7 | 7 | |
| 3 | Alternative Democratic Reform Party Alternative Democratic Reform Party The Alternative Democratic Reform Party , abbreviated to ADR, is a conservative political party in Luxembourg. It has four seats in the sixty-seat Chamber of Deputies, making it the fifth-largest party.... (ADR) |
|
|
|
|
5 | 4 | |
| 4 | Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party , abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social democratic political party in Luxembourg.The LSAP is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, having won 13 of 60 seats at the 2009 election, and has one seat in the European Parliament... (LSAP) |
|
|
|
|
14 | 14 | |
| 5 | Democratic Party Democratic Party (Luxembourg) The Democratic Party , abbreviated to DP, is the major liberal political party in Luxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on the centre-right, holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights, and internationalism.Founded in... (DP) |
|
|
|
|
10 | 10 | |
| 6 | The Left The Left (Luxembourg) The Left is a left-wing and socialist political organisation in Luxembourg. The Left was formed on 30 January 1999 by a group of like minded activists, many of them affiliated with existing political parties, notably the Communist Party of Luxembourg , the New Left, the Revolutionary Socialist... |
|
|
|
|
0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Christian Social People's Party Christian Social People's Party The Christian Social People's Party , abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian Democratic and conservative ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, it is strongly pro-European... (CSV) |
|
|
|
|
24 | 24 | |
| 8 | Citizens' List Citizens' List The Citizens' List is a Luxembourgian political party. It was founded in the run-up to the 2009 Chamber of Deputies election and European election... |
 |
|
|
|
0 | 1 |
Overall results
Under Luxembourg's electoral system the country is divided into four multi-member constituencies: CentreCirconscription Centre (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Centre is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch, both of which are in the district of Luxembourg. , Centre has an estimated population of 151,166, or 33% of Luxembourg's total...
, Est
Circonscription Est (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Est is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Echternach, Grevenmacher, and Remich. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the district of Grevenmacher...
, Nord
Circonscription Nord (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Nord is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Clervaux, Diekirch, Redange, Vianden, and Wiltz. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the district of Diekirch. , Nord has an estimated population of...
, and Sud
Circonscription Sud (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Sud is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.The constituency includes the cantons of Capellen and Esch-sur-Alzette, both of which are in the district of Luxembourg...
. Voters may vote for as many candidates as the region elects Deputies. The number of voters cast for each party therefore cannot be stated.
Results by locality
As in 2004, the CSV won pluralities in each of Luxembourg's four circonscriptions, and pluralities in nearly all of Luxembourg's communesCommunes of Luxembourg
The communes of Luxembourg are the lowest nation-wide administrative division in Luxembourg. They conform to LAU level 2.Within the hierarchy of administrative subdivisions, communes come directly below cantons, which are directly below districts. Communes are often re-arranged, being merged or...
. Only four communes didn't register pluralities for the CSV (down from seven in 2004). Wiltz
Wiltz
Wiltz is a commune with city status in north-western Luxembourg, capital of the canton Wiltz. Wiltz is situated on the banks of the river Wiltz. It was also a battleground in the Battle of the Bulge, near the end of World War II...
in the north and Dudelange
Dudelange
Dudelange is a commune with city status in southern Luxembourg. It is the fourth-most populous commune, with over 18,300 inhabitants. Dudelange is situated close to the border to France....
, Kayl
Kayl
Kayl is a commune and town in south-western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, which is part of the district of Luxembourg....
, and Rumelange
Rumelange
Rumelange is a commune with city status in south-western Luxembourg, on the border with France., the town of Rumelange, which lies in the east of the commune, has a population of 4,818. It is also the site of some of the underground iron mines no longer in operation...
in the southern Red Lands
Red Lands
The Red Lands form a geographic region in southern and south-western Luxembourg. They are called this way for their red iron-laden earth.The Red Lands roughly correspond with the southern part of the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, along the border with France...
voted for the LSAP.
The CSV's performance improved most markedly in Centre
Circonscription Centre (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Centre is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch, both of which are in the district of Luxembourg. , Centre has an estimated population of 151,166, or 33% of Luxembourg's total...
, where it increased its vote from 35.5% to 38.6%. In Centre, the CSV received almost twice as many votes as the Democratic Party in , only ten years after the DP won a plurality by over 2%. It gained one extra seat in Centre, and another in Est
Circonscription Est (Luxembourg)
Circonscription Est is an electoral constituency for Luxembourg's national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies.It includes the cantons of Echternach, Grevenmacher, and Remich. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the district of Grevenmacher...
.
| CSV | LSAP | DP | Greens | ADR | Left | KPL | BL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre | 38.6% | 17.8% | 19.4% | 13.2% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 1.1% | 0.0% |
| Est | 41.5% | 16.2% | 15.4% | 14.2% | 9.5% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 0.0% |
| Nord | 39.6% | 17.4% | 18.2% | 10.8% | 10.3% | 2.0% | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Sud | 35.6% | 28.2% | 10.1% | 10.2% | 7.9% | 4.1% | 2.2% | 1.7% |
Aftermath
The CSV's large margin of victory guaranteed that it would form the government once again, with Jean-Claude JunckerJean-Claude Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker is a Luxembourg politician, 23rd and current Prime Minister of Luxembourg, since 20 January 1995. He is the longest standing head of government of any European Union state...
appointed as formateur
Formateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
and likely to remain as Prime Minister. Before the election, Juncker, Europe's longest-serving head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, had told his party that he intended to step down as Minister for Finances, to be replaced by Luc Frieden
Luc Frieden
Luc Frieden is a Luxembourgian politician for the Christian Social People's Party . He was Minister for Justice and Minister for the Treasury and Budget from 1998 to 2009, and has been Minister for Finances since 23 July 2009.In the capacity of Minister for the Treasury and Budget, Frieden was...
. This brought into question his chairmanship of the Europe-wide Eurogroup, which he had chaired since 2005. However, he has since stated that he would remain in charge of monetary policy
Monetary policy
Monetary policy is the process by which the monetary authority of a country controls the supply of money, often targeting a rate of interest for the purpose of promoting economic growth and stability. The official goals usually include relatively stable prices and low unemployment...
and relations with the European Central Bank
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank is the institution of the European Union that administers the monetary policy of the 17 EU Eurozone member states. It is thus one of the world's most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt,...
.
The CSV was in a strong enough position to form a coalition with any one of three parties: LSAP (partner in the Juncker-Asselborn Ministry I), the DP (partner in the Juncker-Polfer Ministry
Juncker-Polfer Ministry
The Juncker-Polfer Ministry was the government of Luxembourg between 7 August 1999 and 31 July 2004. It was led by, and named after, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and Deputy Prime Minister Lydie Polfer.-Ministers:...
), and the Greens (who have never entered the government). However, the DP and Greens have both ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the CSV, leaving only the previous coalition partners, LSAP, in the running. The CSV and LSAP formed a coalition agreement, with Juncker as Prime Minister and Jean Asselborn as Deputy Prime Minister, with the new government forming on 23 July.