Political career
Meisch ran for the Chamber of Deputies, to represent Sud, in the 1999 election. Meisch finished sixth amongst DP candidates, with the top four being elected. [5] However, the election saw the DP become kingmakers, giving them enough leverage over the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) to allow them to appoint seven Democratic deputies, including Henri Grethen and Eugène Berger, to the new government. Grethen insisted that Berger be appointed along with him, specifically so that Meisch could enter the Chamber. [6] With Grethen and Berger required to vacate their seats to take up their government positions, Meisch filled in the gap and entered the Chamber of Deputies on 12 August 1999. [1]
In the 2004 legislative election, Meisch was re-elected to the Chamber directly, placing second amongst DP candidates in an election that saw the party's representation from Sud reduced from four to two. [7] The result was bad for the DP across the country, losing five seats and seeing them replaced as the Christian Social People's Party's (CSV) coalition partners by the LSAP. After the election, Lydie Polfer resigned as DP President, having served the term limit imposed by the party's statutes. Meisch was the only candidate put forward to replace her, and recorded a 90% vote in his favour (between him and none of the above), holding the position since 10 October 2004. [1]
The 2005 election to Differdange communal council saw Meisch score an 'historic' victory, [8] in leading the DP to buck the national trend and greatly increase their vote: winning 43% of the vote and winning eight seats. [4] Meisch thus remained as mayor, heading a coalition with the Greens, although the size of the victory allowed Meisch to choose his coalition partner from any of the other three parties.
In the 2009 legislative election, Meisch was re-elected, winning more votes that any other Democratic candidate in the entire country, and winning more than twice as many votes as Eugène Berger, who placed second on the DP list in Sud. [9] The party nationwide fell 1.1% of the vote and lost a seat. Immediately after the election, Meisch ruled out a coalition with the CSV, so the DP continued in opposition. [10]
Minister of Education
In 2020, Meisch was at the centre of controversy when, as Minister of Education, he forced the Luxembourgish public schools to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic despite protests from the teachers union (SNE) [11] and an online petition from 23,000 concerned parents urging him not to do so. [12] A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education stated that "parents have no say in the matter". [13]
In July 2021, in response to the effects of stress and emotional insecurity caused by the covid-pandemic, Claude Meisch as Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, inaugurated the Achtsamkeitspfad open-air mindfulness trail at the Munsbach Castle, designed and created by the Center for Social-Emotional Development (CDSE) to reinforce psychic balance, the first meditation concept of its kind in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Claude Meisch congratulated the CDSE for their initiative to promote awareness of emotional skills and well-being, and thanked the commune of Schuttrange for their support. [14]
In 2023 he was appointed Minister of Education, Children and Youth and as Minister of Accommodation in the government of Luc Frieden.
Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government, and the multi-party system. Executive power is under the constitution of 1868, as amended, exercised by the government, by the grand duke and the Council of Government (cabinet), which consists of a prime minister and several other ministers. Usually, the prime minister is the leader of the political party or coalition of parties having the most seats in parliament. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The Democratic Party, is the major social-liberal political party in Luxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on the centre to centre-right, holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights, and internationalism.
General elections were held in Luxembourg on 13 June 2004, alongside European Parliament elections. The ruling Christian Social People's Party (CSV) of Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker won the election, increasing its number of seats to its highest since before 1989 and its share of the vote to levels not seen since the 1959 election.
Lydie Polfer is a Luxembourgish politician who has served in a number of capacities, including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mayor of Luxembourg City, as well as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and a member of the Chamber of Deputies. She is a member of the Democratic Party (DP).
Elections in Luxembourg are held to determine the political composition of the representative institutions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a liberal representative democracy, with universal suffrage guaranteed under its constitution. Elections are held regularly, and are considered to be fair and free.
Claude Wiseler is a Luxembourgish politician, serving as the current and 40th President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies since 21 November 2023 and who served as President of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) from 2021 to 2023.
South is one of the four multi-member constituencies of the Chamber of Deputies, the national legislature of Luxembourg. The constituency was established in 1919 following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. It consists of the cantons of Capellen and Esch-sur-Alzette. The constituency currently elects 23 of the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2023 general election it had 111,884 registered electors.
East is one of the four multi-member constituencies of the Chamber of Deputies, the national legislature of Luxembourg. The constituency was established in 1919 following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. It consists of the cantons of Echternach, Grevenmacher and Remich. The constituency currently elects seven of the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2023 general election it had 40,246 registered electors.
North is one of the four multi-member constituencies of the Chamber of Deputies, the national legislature of Luxembourg. The constituency was established in 1919 following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. It consists of the cantons of Clervaux, Diekirch, Redange, Vianden and Wiltz. The constituency currently elects nine of the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2023 general election it had 52,922 registered electors.
Centre is one of the four multi-member constituencies of the Chamber of Deputies, the national legislature of Luxembourg. The constituency was established in 1919 following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. It consists of the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch. The constituency currently elects 21 of the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2023 general election it had 81,687 registered electors.
General elections were held in Luxembourg on 13 June 1999, alongside European Parliament elections. The Christian Social People's Party remained the largest party, winning 19 of the 60 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party.
Luc Frieden is a Luxembourgish politician and lawyer who serves as the 25th prime minister of Luxembourg since November 2023. A member of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), he held numerous cabinet positions in the Luxembourgish government between 1998 and 2013, notably serving as the minister for the Treasury and Budget during the transition from the Franc to the Euro and as Minister of Finance during the European debt crisis. Frieden was president of the Luxembourgish Chamber of Commerce and Eurochambres, the business federation of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
General elections were held in Luxembourg on 7 June 2009, together with the 2009 election to the European Parliament. All sixty members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected for five years. The polls were topped by the Christian Social People's Party, which built upon its already high number of seats to achieve a commanding victory, with the highest vote share and number of seats of any party since 1954. Incumbent prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who was the longest-serving head of government in the European Union, renewed the coalition agreement with Deputy Prime Minister and Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party leader Jean Asselborn and formed the Juncker-Asselborn Ministry II, which was sworn in on 23 July 2009.
Xavier Bettel is a Luxembourgish lawyer and politician who serves as the 14th deputy prime minister of Luxembourg and as the minister for Foreign Affairs since 2023. He served as the 24th prime minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies (1999–2013) and Mayor of Luxembourg City (2011–2013).
François Bausch is a Luxembourgish politician of the Greens who served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2019 to 2023. He is a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2023. Before entering the government in 2013 was leader of the Greens in the Chamber.
Early general elections were held in Luxembourg on 20 October 2013. The elections were called after Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, at the time the longest-serving head of government in the European Union, announced his resignation over a spy scandal involving the Service de Renseignement de l'État (SREL). The review found Juncker deficient in his control over the service.
Lex Delles is a Luxembourgish politician. He was mayor of Mondorf-les-Bains, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, he served as Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Minister for Tourism in the second Bettel Government and, from 17 November 2023 on, serves as Minister of Economy, SMEs and Engery and Tourism in the Frieden-Bettel Government.
General elections were held in Luxembourg on 8 October 2023 to elect all 60 seats of the Chamber of Deputies.
Elisabeth Margue is a Luxembourgish politician and lawyer who is serving as the minister of justice since 17 November 2023.
Martine Hansen is a Luxembourgish agricultural economist and politician who serves as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture and Minister for Consumer Protection in the Frieden-Bettel Government. She was a member of the Chamber of Deputies (2013–2023) and served as Minister for Higher Education and Research from April to December 2013 in the Juncker–Asselborn II Government.
