Right to vote in elections

General principles of elections in Luxembourg

Voting in Luxembourg: a right, but also a duty

Citizens of Luxembourg nationality are required to vote from the age of 18. They are automatically registered on the electoral roll.

In Luxembourg, voting in elections is compulsory if you are registered on the electoral roll. In the event of abstention, penalties can range from a $100 to $1,000 fine for the recalcitrant citizen. Only a few cases can be excused. This is particularly the case for voters over the age of 75 or people who are 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 electoral roll

Registration on the electoral roll must be completed no later than 55 days before the date of the election.

Registration can be done via myguichet.lu or directly at your local municipal office with a valid ID.

Registration on the electoral roll is permanent. It is not necessary to renew it. If you move to another municipality, your registration on the electoral roll is automatically transferred.

If a voter wishes to be removed from the electoral roll, they must submit a written request to the municipal council, enclosing a copy of their identity card.

Do you have other administrative tasks to complete in Luxembourg? Consult our administrative guide

Secret ballot elections based on a single round

Elections in Luxembourg are held on the basis of a single round of voting, by secret ballot. Voters go to a polling booth to mark the boxes of their chosen candidates on their ballot paper. They then place the folded ballot paper in a ballot box, under the supervision of designated officials.

At the end of the vote, the ballots in the ballot box are counted. All votes are counted, office by office. If, at the end of the count, no party has obtained an absolute majority to form a government or municipal council, the various parties meet to negotiate. They then form a coalition government or municipal council. A program will be defined jointly for the coming period. 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.