The adr considers itself a genuine alternative in the landscape of Luxembourg politics. This resolute stance was underscored by the party, which currently still has three representatives in the Chamber of Deputies, during its electoral congress on Wednesday evening at the ‘Op der Schéiss’ cultural centre, attended by approximately 200 party members.
As the 8 October election draws near, the adr exudes confidence, asserting that it has “the best lists, candidates, and electoral programme” it has ever had.
The party says it stands for policies aimed at safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty while prioritising the security and freedom of its citizens. Their vision revolves around “a Luxembourg where people feel secure, at ease, and free from prohibitionist hysteria.”
In the coming three weeks, the adr intends to present itself as an assertive, dynamic, and self-assured force. MP Fernand Kartheiser encapsulated this sentiment by stating, “as the adr, we are often more social than the socialists, more environmentally friendly than the Greens, more liberal than the DP, and more realistic than the CSV. But if we’re honest, there is one party we can’t compete against, and that’s the Pirates. Because we refrain from opportunistic politics, and we are polite, which is why we can’t compete against them.”
The adr wants to replace what it dubs the “Gambia” government, a reference to the three colours of the majority parties, which they argue has overstayed its tenure and made substantial missteps. Party president Fred Keup has even started thinking about what he and his party would do should he assume the role of prime minister:
“First day: fight against crime, a straightforward starting point, you could start very simply there (…) Second day: family matters (…) Third day: easy, the Luxembourgish language. Doesn’t cost much, not much needs to be done. We support the Luxembourgish language, very simple.”
On the fourth day, Keup would organise a referendum on growth, and on the fifth day he would focus on freedom and abolish prohibitions.
“Sixth day: petrol prices, energy prices, we lower them. It’s all over our posters. It’s very simple. Mr Bausch said: ‘How do you want to do that?’ But it’s quite simple to do it. You just lower excise rates and taxes,” Keup said.
And then there is the last day of the week: “On the seventh day we rest. No, we don’t rest on the seventh day either, but we think about resting, we think about a holiday.”
The adr also demands that the National Day of Remembrance on 10 October become an official holiday.
Keup emphasised these initial priorities as essential steps toward improving the nation’s current state, which, in his view, is experiencing a prolonged period of decline. He remarked, “and that is because we have a very, very bad government, the worst since the Second World War. The worst prime minister, the worst foreign minister, we don’t need to talk about the education minister because the whole country agrees on that, agriculture minister etc. etc. etc. There may be a glimmer of hope sometimes with one or the other, but that is very rare.”
Accordingly, the adr recommends not to vote for the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP), or the Green Party (déi Gréng), but also to steer clear of the new parties and the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV). The adr’s lead candidate alleges that the CSV has shifted its stance toward that of the incumbent governing parties, asserting that its focus has shifted from policies to power.
However, during the adr’s electoral congress, criticism was not solely directed at political adversaries but also extended to the media.
Keup remarked, “a journalist who knows something in January or whenever and publishes it ten days before the elections is not doing it to inform, they are doing it to manipulate elections according to their political beliefs or according to the political beliefs of another person who has ordered them to do so. Just so we’re very clear, and if that will be the case, you will know it right away, you will easily be able to tell by considering when they publish something and when they don’t publish it.”
This claim was made by the adr president and national lead candidate Fred Keup on Wednesday evening, 18 days before the elections.
In August, the French Interior Ministry announced that it would dissolve the far-right French party Civitas due to rampant anti-Semitism within the party. This week, RTL reported on the connections between the adr and Civitas, leading to the resignation of the vice-president of adr International, who herself faced accusations of anti-Semitism.
