Right to vote in elections
In Luxembourg, voting in elections is not only a right but also an obligation for citizens. Here you will find all the necessary information on:
- the principle of voting in Luxembourg
- the elections in which a citizen can vote or run as a candidate
- how to register to vote
- how elections are conducted in Luxembourg: municipal, legislative, European, and unionelections .
General Principles of Elections in Luxembourg
Voting in Luxembourg: a right, but also a duty
Citizens of Luxembourg are eligible to vote starting at age 18. They are automatically registered on the voter rolls.
In Luxembourg, voting in elections is mandatory if you are registered on the voter rolls. In the event of non-voting, penalties can range from a 100 to 1,000 euro fine for the non-compliant citizen. Only a few cases may be excused. This applies in particular to voters over 75 years of age or those unable to vote for professional reasons.
Voting by mail may be authorized in exceptional cases. However, proxy voting is not permitted.
Registration / Removal from the Voter Rolls
Registration on the voter rolls must be completed no later than 55 days before the election date.
Registration can be completed via myguichet.lu or directly at your local municipal office with a valid ID.
Registration on the voter rolls is permanent. It does not need to be renewed. If you move to another municipality, your registration on the voter rolls is automatically transferred.
If a voter wishes to be removed from the voter rolls, they must submit a written request to the municipal council, attaching a copy of their ID card.
Do you have other administrative tasks to complete in Luxembourg? Consult our administrative guide
Secret-ballot elections in a single round
Elections in Luxembourg are held in a single round of voting by secret ballot. Voters go into a voting booth to mark the boxes for their chosen candidates on their ballot. They then place the folded ballot in a ballot box under the supervision of designated officials.
Once voting has ended, the ballots in the ballot box are counted. All votes are tallied, polling station by polling station. If, after the count, no party has obtained an absolute majority to form a government or a municipal council, the various parties meet to negotiate. They then form a coalition government or municipal council. A joint program will be defined for the coming term. Positions will be distributed among the various political parties in the coalition.
Luxembourg municipal elections
Municipal elections are held every six years in Luxembourg. The last municipal elections took place on June 11, 2023. For the first time, the entire resident population was invited to participate in these elections, regardless of their length of residence.
Municipal elections are held to elect municipal councilors.
Who votes in municipal elections?
To be eligible to vote in MUNICIPAL elections, voters must:
- be at least 18 years of age,
- be registered on the electoral roll at least 55 days before the election,
- enjoy civil rights and not have been deprived of the right to vote in their state of residence or state of origin,
- be a Luxembourgish or non-Luxembourgish citizen,
- be resident in the Grand Duchy, in the municipality where they wish to vote, with no restriction on the length of residence in Luxembourg.
Further information is available on the website " jepeuxvoter.lu".
Principle of municipal elections in Luxembourg
Municipal elections are held every six years. They are held to elect representatives in each municipality in Luxembourg: the mayor, the aldermen, and the municipal council.
Non-Luxembourg residents may stand for election in the municipal elections in their place of residence. They must have been resident in the municipality for at least six months and in Luxembourg for at least five years. The last year must have been uninterrupted. Candidacy must be declared at least 60 days before the election.
How municipal elections work in Luxembourg
Voters are sent their polling station details at least eight days before the election. Voters must go to their designated polling station on election day with their ID.
Elections are held on a relative majority basis for municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and on a proportional basis for municipalities with more than 3,000 inhabitants.
Each voter has a number of votes equal to the number of seats available on the municipal council. They can choose to vote for an entire list or to distribute their votes among the various candidates. They can even choose to give two votes to one or another candidate, without exceeding their total number of votes.
To cast their vote, they will tick the corresponding boxes on the ballot paper.
Parliamentary elections in Luxembourg
Parliamentary elections are held every five years in Luxembourg. They are used to elect the 60 members who will make up the Chamber of Deputies. Following the vote, a new government will be formed that reflects the voters' choice.
The last legislative elections were held on Sunday, October 8, 2023.
Who can vote in parliamentary elections?
To be eligible to vote in legislative elections, voters must:
- be a Luxembourg citizen,
- be at least 18 years of age* on election day,
- enjoy civil and political rights,
- be resident in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Luxembourg citizens residing abroad may, however, vote by mail.
All Luxembourg voters registered on the electoral roll are called upon to vote in parliamentary elections.
How to vote in legislative elections?
For the election of deputies, the country is divided into four constituencies: the Center, represented by 21 deputies; the South, represented by 23 deputies; the North, represented by nine deputies; and the East, represented by seven deputies.
Each voter has a maximum number of votes equal to the number of deputies in their constituency. They can distribute their votes in several ways:
- vote for an entire list representing a single political party(see the list of the main political parties in Luxembourg), in which case you simply check the box above the chosen list on the ballot
- distribute their votes by name among several candidates, even if they belong to different political parties. To do this, they must check the box next to the name of the chosen candidate. You can give an advantage to one or more candidates by giving them a maximum of 2 votes. To do this, you must check the 2 boxes next to their names. Be careful not to exceed the total number of votes you are entitled to: 23 for the southern region, 21 for the center, 9 for the north, and 7 for the east.
Notices for the legislative elections are sent out at least five days in advance. Voters must go to the polling station indicated onthe notice, bringing their ID with them.
European elections in Luxembourg
European elections allow European citizens to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament for the next five years.
Currently, the DP has two seats, the CSV has two seats, dei Greng has one seat, and the LSAP has one seat. Learn more about the European Union's place in Luxembourg.
The next European elections will take place on June 9, 2024.
Registering on the European electoral roll
As voting is compulsory in Luxembourg, Luxembourg citizens are automatically registered on the electoral roll.
Residents from another European country who are not Luxembourg nationals must register on the local electoral roll in order to vote for Luxembourg MEPs.
This registration is done at their municipality of residence or via MyGuichet.lu.
Voters can also register on the national consulate's electoral roll to vote for representatives from their country of origin. Please note that you cannot vote for both European representatives and representatives from your country of origin. Voters must choose which representatives they want to vote for: those from Luxembourg or those from their country of origin.
Requirements for voting in European elections
To be eligible to vote in European elections, voters must:
- be at least 18 years of age*,
- be a Luxembourg national or a national of another EU Member State,
- be resident in Luxembourg,
- be registered on the electoral roll at least 86 days before the election, i.e. before April 13 for the 2024 elections
- for Luxembourg nationals, be resident in the Grand Duchy
- for nationals of another EU Member State, be resident in the Grand Duchy and have been resident there at the time of applying for registration on the electoral roll as required by law.
* Persons who will be 18 years of age on election day but are not yet 18 at the time of submitting their application for registration must present authorization from their parents or guardian.
Luxembourg citizens residing abroad are eligible to vote in European elections by postal vote.
Voting by mail in Luxembourg
In Luxembourg, all voters registered on the electoral roll are required to vote in the various elections. While it is not possible to vote by proxy, it is possible to vote by mail.
Postal voting is available to voters:
- over the age of 75,
- who are unable to travel for health reasons,
- who are unable to go to the polling station in person for duly justified professional or personal reasons,
- who live in a municipality other than the one where they are required to vote.
The request to vote by mail must be sent to the College of Mayor and Aldermen of the municipality, no earlier than 10 weeks and no later than 30 days before election day.
For more information on elections and voting rights in Luxembourg, visit: www.guichet.public.lu and www.elections.public.lu
Please note: do not forget to register with the Consulate of your country of origin in Luxembourg so that you can continue to participate in certain elections in your country of origin.
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