Members of parliament on 25 January passed in a first vote, including clipping the grand duke’s role as head of state, regulating the organisation of the government and enshrining national symbols, such as the Luxembourgish language.
A two-thirds majority must approve of the measures in a second vote following an interval of at least three months. During this time, voters can launch a bid to hold a referendum on the changes.
A citizens’ initiative on 4 February had for such a public ballot, which was officially approved by the prime minister’s office on 7 February.
For a referendum to be held, 25,000 voters must support the initiative. Between 2 and 25 March, communes across the country will host lists open for signature, the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday.
While the constitution affects the whole population, only Luxembourg nationals can support the referendum bid as non-nationals aren’t eligible to participate in legislative elections.
The comprehensive reform of Luxembourg’s highest laws began over a decade ago and in 2019 hit an impasse when a completely new text was shelved over party-political squabbles. This document was replaced with a piece-meal update of the existing constitution from 1868, divided into four chapters.
Two of them have now been adopted--in a first vote--by the Chamber of Deputies.
A citizens’ initiative for a referendum on the first chapter of reforms, voted in , failed as only 7,397 valid signatures out of 25,000 were collected. The first chapter of reforms enshrined the independence of the justice system in the constitution as well as founding a new supreme justice council, a watchdog to ensure the judiciary operates independently.
Members of parliament, too, can force a referendum if 16 out of 60 lawmakers petition the government. The right-wing party ADR opened a list of signatures on 25 January. Its previous effort in October last year garnered support from only eight MPs who supported a call for public ballot: the opposition seats of the ADR, Déi Lénk and the Pirate Party.
The CSV--the largest group in parliament--had said it would support a referendum if a public petition reached 25,000 signatures. The document closed with 18,645 names, prompting a debate with lawmakers and the government, which did .
The government parties--the DP, LSAP and Déi Gréng--in their 2018 to 2023 coalition programme had promised a referendum on the reform of the constitution but this plan was shelved when the update was broken down from a single new text into the four reform chapters.
Two further batches of updates--on rights and liberties, and the Chamber of Deputies and Council of State--are still pending.