A political highlight of the spring, before the legislative elections kick off in October, the municipal elections will be held this Sunday 11 June in Luxembourg.
A few figures on the electorate
329,725 voters are expected to decide between the candidates. This represents an increase of 15.5% compared to the 285,319 who voted in the previous elections in 2017. This can be explained in part by the increase in the population, up by 9.6% between 2017 and 2022. But it is also due to the fact that the right to vote has been extended to all foreign residents, whereas in the previous election you had to have lived in the country for at least five years to be able to vote. The ministry of integration has encouraged them to register, through its €200,000 “I can vote” campaign.
As a result, 50,093 foreign voters are registered for the 2023 local elections, compared with 34,340 six years earlier. “You might think that the rate of new registrations following the campaign would remain fairly mediocre if you simply subtracted the two figures,” admits the ministry of integration. This would give a figure of +15,753. “This conclusion does not take into account the large number of naturalisations authorised between 2017 and 2023. I don’t have the exact figure, but there are many people who, in 2017, did not have Luxembourg nationality and who, today, have taken on nationality or dual nationality and are therefore automatically registered.” The number of people who registered between the start of the “I can vote” campaign and the 17 April deadline was 23,330.
In Luxembourg, voting is compulsory for all registered voters. It is not possible to be replaced. Penalties are possible, although “they have never been applied,” according to (LSAP), minister of home affairs. An exception is made for voters aged over 75, who are automatically excused.
If they were unable to go to the polls, postal voting was a solution. However, this had to be requested before 17 May. 59,598 (18%) opted for this option.
Voters who--at the time of voting--live in a municipality other than the one in which they are due to vote are also exempt from compulsory participation.
A few figures on the candidates
For their part, 3,847 candidates are running for 1,121 mandates. While gender equality is one of the priorities of minister Bofferding, the figures show that parity still has some way to go in the ranks of elected representatives. There are more male candidates (61%) than female candidates (39%).
Their average age is 48. The youngest candidate will be just 18 years and 65 days old at the time of the ballot, and the oldest will be 85 years and 283 days old. The vast majority of candidates are in the 40-59 age bracket.
If we look at the average age per party presenting at least two lists, the KPL has the highest: 57 years, and the very young Fokus party has the lowest average age (45 years), as do déi Lenk and the Piratepartei. The LSAP, CSV and DP have an average age of 47.
While the vast majority of candidates are of Luxembourg nationality (90%), 379 candidates have other nationalities. Apart from Luxembourg nationals, the most represented were Portuguese, reflecting the country’s large Portuguese community. It should be noted that people with dual nationality are considered as Luxembourg nationals in these statistics.
Logically, the ten largest municipalities in Luxembourg have the most seats to be filled and the most candidates. Most of the outgoing mayors in these municipalities are running for re-election. There are a few exceptions, however. In Differdange, for example, .
Eleven parties are fielding candidates across the country. The DP (623 candidates), the CSV (601 candidates), the LSAP (529 candidates) and déi Gréng (491) have the most candidates. There are also 360 people on citizens’ lists. 575 are not on any list, as they are standing in communes where voting is by relative majority and therefore for individual profiles.
A few figures on voting
Voting methods vary from one commune to another, as does the number of mandates. As a reminder, 99 communes are due to elect their councillors on Sunday 11 June.
Elections are held either by relative majority in municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 or by proportional representation in municipalities with a population of more than 3,000. In the first case, candidates stand for election individually. In the second case, candidates are grouped on lists. The maximum number of candidates per list is equal to the number of municipal council members to be elected.
Ten communes changed their voting system for two reasons.
For four of them (Helperknapp, Parc Hosingen, Rosport-Mompach and Schengen), the change is linked “to the transitional provisions concerning municipal elections, which are due to expire,” according to the ministry. For six others (Beaufort, Bettendorf, Esch-sur-Sûre, Lintgen, Redange-sur-Attert and Wormeldange), it is because they passed the threshold of 3,000 inhabitants on 30 September 2022.
There are also a number of specificities arising from the mergers of communes. In the commune of Habscht, the Hobscheid section already voted according to the proportional representation system in 2017, while the Septfontaines section voted according to the relative majority system. In 2023, the commune of Habscht will no longer be divided into sections and will vote according to the proportional representation system.
In seven of the country’s municipalities, voters will not be called to the polls. The number of candidates does not exceed the number of mandates to be filled in Bourscheid, Nommern, Stadtbredimus, Vichten, Weiler-la-Tour and Winseler. Elections in Berdorf have been postponed until 8 October, due to the death of a candidate.
And after the elections
While the elections will be held this Sunday, another important period will run until 1 September, when the local councils take up their duties. This will be the last day for swearing in the new colleges of mayors, aldermen and local councils.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.