© René Pfeiffer / RTL
Members of the CSV (Christian Social People's Party) slammed the government at the party's National Congress in Ettelbruck on Saturday.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel's phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn's statement that the Russian leader should be "physically eliminated" drew particular criticism. "In normal times, this would have simply been embarrassing but in times like this, it's dramatic for our country," co-President Claude Wiseler stated.
Meanwhile, CSV MP Martine Hansen focused her criticism on the government's education policies. The MP stressed that the CSV is against increasing the number of European Schools in Luxembourg and would instead prefer to improve public schools. However, Hansen went on to say, willingness to engage in dialogue is "a skill that Minister of Education Claude Meisch doesn't possess".
Regarding the ongoing tripartite, Gilles Roth, co-chair of the CSV's parliamentary group, stated that while the party welcomes the meeting between the social partners, the CSV thinks that the tax burden on the middle classes needs to be lowered due to the current level of inflation. For this reason, the CSV demands that tax rates should be adjusted for inflation. Luxembourg's biggest opposition party also criticised the government for its housing and healthcare policies.
CSV party members meanwhile elected Elisabeth Margue co-president and Stéphanie Weydert as co-secretary general.
In her speech to party members, Margue stressed that the CSV should once again focus on policies and give itself a clear line.
Margue also discussed the vaccine mandate, the housing crisis, and the fight against climate change, adding that the latter "must not be achieved to the detriment of the economy". Margue received 185 out of 214 votes and was thus elected as the party's new co-president, while Weydert received 194 to become co-secretary general.
In his opening speech, Co-President Claude Wiseler looked back on the past year and stressed that "certain things could have been done better". In this context, Wiseler also addressed the 'Frëndeskrees Affair', which "has left its marks on the party". Georges Pierret, one of the defendants in the trial, also looked back on the controversy and warned that the party should "air its dirty laundry internally" from now on, especially ahead of the upcoming elections.
Co-Secretary General Christophe Hansen touched upon the cornerstones of the party programme. The CSV continues to demand the introduction of a vaccine mandate. In the area of energy supply, the party demands Luxembourg's independence from Russian gas and climate neutrality by 2050. The CSV has decided to consider 11 June 2022 as its official kickoff for the election year 2023.
