A government dominated by two people, a struggling Green Party, and an opposition politician who still has the wind in his sails: The second part of the May 2022 'Politmonitor' survey focuses on the popularity of Luxembourg's politicians.
The Grand Duchy's three-way coalition is looking more and more like a solid duo with an ally that is struggling to keep up.
According to the results of the latest 'Politmonitor' survey, the Green Party (Déi Gréng) is no longer as strong as it was during the 2018 national elections. Meanwhile, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and the Democratic Party (DP), represented by Paulette Lenert and Xavier Bettel, continue to face crisis after crisis and boost the government's popularity. This is shown by the ranking of Luxembourg's politicians, judged by voters on their competence and likability.
A closer look at the Top 10
The most popular politicians in Luxembourg are without a doubt LSAP politicians Paulette Lenert (1st) and Jean Asselborn (also 1st). Despite a significant drop in popularity (-7 points since November 2021), Lenert remains at the top of the ranking and continues to reap the benefits of her successful breakthrough thanks to her management of the coronavirus crisis. This begs the question: with less than a year and a half until the national elections, who else but her can lead the LSAP ticket? At her side, Jean Asselborn remains unshakeable. The Minister of Foreign Affairs enjoys exceptional popularity, regardless of who the other members of government are. This is undoubtedly owing to his extended tenure in successive governments (he has been Minister since 2004!) as well as his occasionally unrestrained verbal outbursts. In the context of the Ukraine War, he is also likely to benefit from his international presence.
The other rock of stability in the government is the Prime Minister. The past few years have essentially been an unbroken string of crises, but at the helm, Xavier Bettel (3rd) faces them one after the other. He is the first to take the blows for the government's actions, but he is also the first to reap the benefits. Whether it's positive or negative economic results, difficult negotiations during tripartite talks, or his role as head of government in the backdrop of the Ukraine War. In fact, his popularity is so great that the DP could almost be described as a "one-man show". Even if Corinne Cahen, the party president, and Minister for the Civil Service Marc Hansen also managed to improve their ratings.
© SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen
Lydie Polfer (4th), the Mayor of Luxembourg City, is in fourth place, barely behind the Top 3. Despite the fact that she is not a member of the government, her mandates as MP and mayor of the capital for the Democratic Party grant her a prominent position in the political landscape. Polfer is just ahead of Sven Clement (5th). The Pirate Party MP continues to rise in the polls. Despite his party's small presence in the Chamber of Deputies (two MPs out of 60), his strong will and, more recently, his opposition to the wage indexation postponement, have allowed him to establish himself among the most influential politicians. He is ahead of Lex Delles (6th). The Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Tourism distinguished himself by his presence during the Covid-19 crisis. Delles will also run for the presidency of the DP in a few days.
Taina Bofferding (7th), LSAP Minister for Home Affairs and Equality between Women and Men, has established herself as a multi-tasker. She shines on both equality and security issues. And she is even ahead of a veteran of Luxembourg politics: Claude Wiseler (8th). He returned to the CSV last year and is the leader of the country's biggest opposition party. His goal? To put his party on track for the 2023 national elections. After his failure in 2018, the task is immense.
Franz Fayot, LSAP Minister of the Economy, continues his progression in the minds of Luxembourg voters. He shares 9th place with Sam Tanson, who has served as Minister of Justice since she succeeded Félix Braz. Tanson also serves as Minister of Culture (and was previously in charge of Housing). She is the first politician from the Green Party to make it into this Top 10.
Outside of the top 10, the poll spotlights Gilles Roth, co-chair of the CSV parliamentary group, who has regained his vigour. But the opposition seems to be far behind the government, which has not been spared by the crisis.
The Pirates are few in number and still lack visibility. The same can be said about the Left Party. Meanwhile, the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) did not seem to convince voters, neither in terms of competence, nor likeability.
The LSAP is also likely to be pleased with the progress of Georges Engel, who became Minister of Sports and Labour at the beginning of the year.
The Green Party's politicians are all gaining popularity, yet they are also nearly all at the bottom of the ranking. The position of Deputy Prime Minister François Bausch, who is currently placed 11th, has remained stable. However, this Green Party heavyweight has already stated that he will not be a part of a new government next year. This is a huge blow for the Green Party, who are already trying to cope with the resignation of Carole Dieschbourg, who was replaced by Joëlle Welfring after the fallout of the Traversini Affair. With environmental issues sometimes taking a back seat to rising prices and the war, it remains to be seen whether the party will be able to recapture the momentum that enabled them to win three more seats in the Chamber of Deputies in 2018.
The 3rd and last part of the 'Politmonitor' will be published on Thursday on RTL Today. You can find the first part of the survey, which focussed on the concerns of Luxembourg's residents, here.
Methodology of the survey:
The 'Politmonitor' is a study carried out by TNS Ilres for RTL and the Luxemburger Wort. A total of 1,048 residents aged 18 and over, representative of the Luxembourg population, were interviewed by telephone and online between 17 and 25 May 2022.
For this section on the likeability and competence of Luxembourg's politicians, TNS Ilres calculates an overall average based on the answers of the respondents.
The full TNS Ilres ranking:
