Residents have to register at their respective municipality to take part in the collection of signatures, of which at least 25,000 are required for the request for the referendum to be successful. Photo: Shutterstock.

Residents have to register at their respective municipality to take part in the collection of signatures, of which at least 25,000 are required for the request for the referendum to be successful. Photo: Shutterstock.

In less than a month residents will be able to support a request to hold a referendum on the long discussed constitutional reform after prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) launched an official procedure for the ballot to take place if voters demand it.

The reform of the grand duchy’s 150-year-old constitution has been ongoing for more than a decade and hit a snag in 2019 when lawmakers decided to shelve a comprehensive new text--which was set to be put to a public vote--and opted for a piecemeal update of the existing constitution instead.

On 20 October, parliament passed a number of changes including enshrining independence of the justice system in the constitution and the creation of a new supreme justice council dedicated to ensuring judiciary independence. However, a second vote on the text is required in three months’ time. The CSV, the biggest opposition party, supported the reform, which requires a two-thirds majority that the government doesn’t have. But the party said it would back a referendum

The has garnered 15,669 signatures as of 29 October. But residents will soon have a chance to support for the reform via an official collection of signatures organised by Luxembourg’s municipalities. They will begin this process no later than 15 days after the publication of Bettel’s recent decision in the grand duchy’s official journal, which will happen within eight days. This means that the collection of signatures could take place within less than a month.

Voters have to register at their respective municipality to take part in the collection of signatures, of which at least 25,000 are required to trigger a referendum. Details about the process will be communicated by communes. If the request for the referendum is successful, it must take place within six months after the result is announced.