Elections in Luxembourg

Luxembourg holds legislative elections for the Chamber of Deputies, European elections and communal elections. Legislative and European elections normally take place every five years; communal councils are elected for six-year terms. A referendum is a separate procedure and does not elect a public mandate. Legislative elections elect 60 deputies in four electoral districts: South has 23 seats, Centre 21, North 9 and East 7. Luxembourgish citizens aged 18 or older who retain their civil and political rights and are domiciled in Luxembourg may vote. The system uses list-based proportional representation. A list may contain no more candidates than the number of seats in the district. Seats are first allocated using the quotient formed by dividing valid votes by the number of seats plus one, rounded up, and remaining seats are allocated using each list's votes divided by the number of seats it already holds plus one. Individual candidate votes determine which candidates take the list's seats. A tied result is decided by drawing lots under the chief polling officer. European elections use one national electoral district and elect six Members of the European Parliament for five years. Luxembourgish and other European Union citizens aged 18 or older may vote if they meet the applicable civil-rights requirements. Luxembourg nationals are registered automatically. EU citizens who are not Luxembourgish must apply for the separate European electoral list and may not vote in Luxembourg and their home country for the same European election. Lists may contain up to six candidates, and seat allocation and candidate ranking follow the same general quotient and individual-vote principles. Communal elections elect the members of the communal council for six years. Each commune forms one electoral district. The council normally has 7 members in communes with up to 999 residents, 9 with 1,000 to 2,999, 11 with 3,000 to 5,999, 13 with 6,000 to 9,999, 15 with 10,000 to 14,999, 17 with 15,000 to 19,999 and 19 with at least 20,000 residents. The City of Luxembourg has 27 council members. Communes with fewer than 3,000 residents use a majority system; communes with at least 3,000 residents use list proportional representation. The council is elected directly. The mayor is not elected directly: the Grand-Duc appoints the mayor on the majority's proposal, and the Minister of Home Affairs appoints the aldermen on the majority's proposal. The college of the mayor and aldermen has the mayor plus two aldermen in communes below 10,000 residents, three in communes from 10,000 to 19,999 residents and four in communes with at least 20,000 residents; the City of Luxembourg has six aldermen. The voting age is 18 on election day. A voter must retain civil and political rights and must not be excluded through a criminal conviction or correctional deprivation of voting rights. Luxembourg nationals are automatically entered on the relevant lists. Legislative voting requires Luxembourgish nationality and domicile in Luxembourg. Luxembourg nationals living abroad may use postal voting for legislative and European elections. European voters may be Luxembourgish or another EU nationality. Communal voting is open to Luxembourgish and other nationalities domiciled in Luxembourg who are registered on the communal list. Since the 2022 reform, non-Luxembourgish communal voters no longer need five years of residence. A non-EU national generally submits a valid residence card, residence permit or carte de légitimation when registering. A foreign voter normally registers for communal or European voting through MyGuichet.lu or the commune by submitting a formal declaration and identification. Communal and European electoral lists are separate. A relocation normally transfers the registration automatically, while deregistration or loss of eligibility can end registration. For communal and European elections, a first registration by a non-Luxembourgish voter is generally possible until 17:00 on the 55th day before election day. The current European guidance uses the same 55-day deadline, with final list closure 44 days before the election. Legislative lists have a provisional filing deadline 54 days before election day, a challenge period ending 47 days before the election and final closure 44 days before election day. The commune normally informs an applicant of the result within 15 days. Removal after a list revision requires written notice within 48 hours. An improper inclusion, omission or removal can be challenged before the Administrative Tribunal. Candidates for the Chamber of Deputies must have Luxembourgish nationality, be at least 18, retain civil and political rights and be domiciled in Luxembourg. A legislative list can be presented by 100 registered voters in the district, an incumbent or former deputy of that district, or three elected communal councillors. The election notice is issued at least 65 days before election day and lists are filed at least 60 days before it. A list cannot exceed the number of available district seats. Certain public offices, membership of the Government or Conseil d'État, and specified close family relationships with deputies create incompatibilities. European candidates may be Luxembourgish or another EU national, must be at least 18 and retain civil rights. The candidate must meet the applicable domicile and residence rules in Luxembourg. The current official election-conditions page states that a candidate must have at least five years of residence when the list is filed; the general candidate guidance is less specific, so the election notice and primary law should be checked for the particular election. EU candidates also provide proof from their home state that they remain eligible and are not standing simultaneously in another member state. A European list can be presented by 250 voters or by a Luxembourg Member of the European Parliament or deputy, and it is filed at least 60 days before election day. Communal candidates must be at least 18, retain civil and political rights and usually have their habitual residence in the commune for at least six months when filing. Foreign candidates provide the required declaration and identification; non-EU candidates also provide a valid residence document. Their nationality does not have to be the same as the nationality required for every category of voter. Polling stations generally open from 08:00 to 14:00. Voting is secret, electronic voting is not used and proxy voting is not allowed. Voters normally show an identity card, passport or residence permit; a polling card is usually not required. Registered voters must vote unless a legal excuse applies, such as living in another commune at election time, being over 75 or being an adult under guardianship. An absence without adequate justification may be referred to the State Prosecutor's Office, known locally as the Parquet. The official FAQ gives fines of EUR 100 to EUR 250 for an unjustified absence and EUR 500 to EUR 1,000 for a repeat within five years. Employees receive civic leave for voting, and this time is not deducted from paid annual leave. An authorised assistant or guide may help a voter, and a tactile model is available for voters with visual impairment. In legislative and European elections, a voter has as many votes as there are mandates in the relevant district. Circling a list gives one vote to each listed candidate unless the list contains fewer candidates than the number of mandates. A voter may distribute candidate votes across different lists and may give up to two votes to one candidate, provided the total vote budget is not exceeded. A ballot receives no valid votes when the voter overvotes, leaves it blank, alters it in a recognisable way, adds an unauthorised object or uses the wrong ballot. In communal majority elections, the voter marks each selected candidate once, up to the number of council seats. In communal proportional elections, the voter may mark each candidate once or twice within the total vote limit, or circle a list to give one vote to every candidate on that list. Every registered voter may request postal voting for legislative, European or communal elections. The request can be made through MyGuichet.lu, by post or through the commune. For delivery within Luxembourg, the request window generally opens 12 weeks before election day and closes 25 days before it; for delivery abroad, the latest request is generally 40 days before election day. Accepted postal materials are normally dispatched within 15 days domestically or 30 days abroad. The ballot envelope must arrive at the polling station before 14:00 on election day, and a postal voter cannot switch back to polling-station voting. Luxembourg nationals abroad may use postal voting for legislative and European elections. A certificate of electoral registration may be subject to a communal tax, ordinary postage may be payable and no separate election fee was identified in the reviewed procedures. Polling stations count the votes after 14:00. The chief or main polling-station president publicly announces the final count and elected names. The Government Coordinating Office compiles the unofficial election-day result. Legislative and European results are officially announced by the main-station president and validated by the Chamber of Deputies. For communal elections, the council result leads to a majority proposal, followed by appointment of the mayor by the Grand-Duc and the aldermen by the Minister of Home Affairs. A vacant European seat is normally filled through the successor listed under the electoral-law procedure. After a legislative election, the outgoing Government resigns on the following day but remains in office to handle current affairs and general policy. The Grand-Duc consults the outgoing Chamber president, the Conseil d'État president and representatives of the lists. The Grand-Duc then selects a Prime Minister or designates an informateur or formateur. If no list has an absolute majority, coalition negotiations may produce a coalition agreement and government programme. The Grand-Duc approves and swears in the Government, after which the Prime Minister presents the programme to the Chamber and seeks its confidence.