Luxembourg foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn retains the top spot for most sympathetic and skilful politician Matic Zorman/archives

Luxembourg foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn retains the top spot for most sympathetic and skilful politician Matic Zorman/archives

The politmonitor survey, commissioned by RTL and the Luxemburger Wort and conducted with 1,027 residents from 3-14 October, asked respondents to rank 35 politicians according to likeability and skill.

Foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn (LSAP) has for some time been the most-highly regarded of the political set. He retained that standing with a score of 86. Prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) has had a mixed response in the past, but this appears to be changing--he scored 78, up from 75.

Green party members received a more nuanced ranking, likely as a result of the “garden shed” affair after which party member Roberto Traversini stepped down. Environment minister Carole Dieschbourg (déi gréng) suffered the biggest drop, from 60 in May 2018 to 42 in October 2019. But the Green's justice minister Sam Tanson bucked the trend and made an entry into the top 10 favourites, as did her party colleague, energy minister Claude Turmes.

Top 10 by sympathy

1. Jean Asselborn (LSAP) - 86

2. Xavier Bettel (DP) - 78

3. Romain Schneider (LSAP) - 58

4. Félix Eischen (CSV) - 57

5. Alex Bodry (LSAP) - 51

6. Taina Bofferding (LSAP) - 51

7. Sam Tanson (Déi Gréng) - 50

8. Fernand Etgen (DP) - 50

9. Claude Wiseler (CSV) - 49

10. Claude Turmes (Déi Gréng) - 48

When ranking politicians for skill, respondents showed confidence in deputy prime minister Étienne Schneider (LSAP), who occupied third place for skill but didn’t make the cut for the sympathy top 10. It was a similar story for finance minister Pierre Gramegna (DP), in fourth place with 65.

Top 10 for skill

1. Jean Asselborn (LSAP) - 84

2. Xavier Bettel (DP) - 77

3. Étienne Schneider (LSAP) - 68

4. Pierre Gramegna (DP) - 65

5. Romain Schneider (LSAP) - 60

6. Alex Bodry (LSAP) - 58

7. François Bausch (Déi Gréng) - 55

8. Claude Wiseler (CSV) - 55

9. Sam Tanson (Déi Gréng) - 53

10. Gast Gibéryen (ADR) - 53

Étienne Schneider recently announced plans to leave government before the end of his mandate while Alex Bodry is expected to join the council of state.