The LSAP’s candidates Maxime Miltgen and Gabriel Boisante discuss their top priorities for the city and integration in the capital.
Top 3 priorities
Invest in housing: “The City of Luxembourg has financial reserves of around €1.1bn,” says Maxime Miltgen, who is running for mayor in the capital. The LSAP wants to invest €100m per year into housing, which would remain in public hands. “One in five working people in Luxembourg live below the poverty line,” she says, highlighting the pressure to create affordable housing and adding that the DP--which has been in power for 54 years--has simply not done enough.
Combatting the democratic deficit: “I speak to many people, and they don’t know that they’re not registered or that they have that right.” Residents can register to vote throughout the year and between elections, with Miltgen saying more should be done every year to keep citizens engaged--for example, setting targets for annual voter sign-ups, “so that once you get to election day, a majority is already registered.”
Making the city lively: “I live in the city centre and if I open my window after 9pm on a weekday, the streets are empty.” While it’s good that there are districts in the capital that are quieter, also for families, “in the city centre, at the Gare, liveliness is really important.” Busier streets will contribute to a greater sense of safety. “Streets have to be designed so that there is life.” Shopping, restaurants, housing must exist side by side to prevent the capital becoming a ghost town. “It’s also about culture and sports happening in the city. People need to have a reason to come to the city and stay for different things.” But for that to work, the city must also become greener and more sustainable. Creating urban heat islands, for example, will keep people away in the summer. “It goes hand in hand.”
Integration matters
Changing lives: “I joined the party shortly before the previous local elections,” says Gabriel Boisante, a French dual national who is jointly running for mayor with Miltgen. “I was always interested in politics, from a very young age.” Getting involved at the local level made sense to the businessman. “Local politics is how we can change and improve the lives of citizens.”
Giving a voice: Following the 2015 referendum, in which 78% of Luxembourg voters spoke out against national foreigner voting rights, “I felt, for the first time, really weird about being a part of Luxembourg,” says Boisante. Voting is a way to become more integrated, he explains, and to have a say on funding for schools or housing.
An alternate version of this article first appeared in the of Delano magazine.