General elections are held in Luxembourg, every five years on the first Sunday in June or, if this date coincides with Pentecost Sunday, is celebrated on the last Sunday of May. The electoral rule for the Grand Ducat stipulates, But, than “the general elections must be organized on the day of the election of the representatives of the European Parliament if this election takes place in June of the same year”. With what 2009 it is a year of European elections, the Luxembourgers are called to designate the 60 members of their national Parliament and their 6 European deputies, he 7 June.
The political system
The Luxembourg Parliament comprises a single chamber, the House of Representatives, with 60 deputies elected for a period of five years by a proportional list system, in accordance with the principle of the lowest electoral quota.
Each voter has as many votes as there are deputies to elect in their constituency, can give each of the votes between the candidates on the same list or on different lists. This way, the voter can assign one vote to each of the candidates on the same list. A person can also vote for candidates from two or more lists or even from “doble vot”, in other words that is, vote twice (maximum) one of the candidates on the list. The voter is free to mix, the way you want, their votes (per example, using the double vote of several candidates from different lists).
The Grand Duchy is divided into four constituencies in the general election: the South (Esch-sur-Azette in Capellen), that selects 23 representatives; the Center (Mersch in Luxembourg), 21 deputies; the North (Diekirch, Redange, Wiltz in Clervaux-Vianden), 9 deputies; he is (Grevenmacher, Echternach and Remich), 7 representatives. Candidates for the House of Representatives must have at least 21 years of age.
Finally, remember that voting is mandatory in Luxembourg. Unjustified absence is punishable by a fine (100-250 EUR). If this happens more than once in the next five years, the fine increases by 500-1000 EUR and voters may be excluded from the electoral roll, or they may even be prohibited from any form of appointment, promotion or distinction. Elderly people (older than 75) or those who live abroad are not authorized to vote nor will they be able to vote by mail. The Grand Duchy does not allow proxy voting.
All bills are subject to a double vote in the Luxembourg Parliament. L’Article 59 of the Constitution obliges deputies to vote twice on the same bill, except if the House of Representatives and the Council of State decide otherwise. A period of at least three months must be included between the two votes.
There are currently five political parties present in the Chamber of Representatives:
– Christian Social People's Party (CSV), to which the current prime minister belongs, Jean-Claude Juncker
– Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP)
– Democratic Party (DP)
– The Green
– Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR)
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