Prime Minister Luc Frieden has emerged as the biggest loser in the latest Politmonitor survey conducted by Ilres on behalf of RTL and the Luxemburger Wort.

Compared to the previous poll from November/December 2024, the Prime Minister and CSV president has lost 10 points in sympathy and competence, dropping from fourth to eighth place. He only just manages to remain among the top 10 ranked politicians.

Overall, few Christian Social People's Party (CSV) members appear in the top tier. Just ahead of Frieden is Chamber President Claude Wiseler, who shares sixth place with LSAP parliamentary group leader Taina Bofferding.

Despite losses, the Democratic Party (DP) remains the most represented in the top 10 with five politicians. Defence Minister Yuriko Backes takes tenth place, and Economy Minister Lex Delles ranks fifth, behind Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer and MEP Charles Goerens. However, Goerens also loses five points in sympathy and competence.

At the top of the ranking is Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel, who gains two points, reaching 79 percent approval. Former Health Minister and LSAP MP Paulette Lenert also gains two points, as does another politician from the former blue-red-green coalition.

Green MP Sam Tanson returns to the top 10 with a four-point gain in sympathy and competence.

Losses outweigh gains

The overall trend in this Politmonitor is one of losses. Most notably, members of Frieden's party saw declines, including Environment Minister Serge Wilmes (-7), EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen (-6), Agriculture Minister Martine Hansen (-1), Labour Minister Georges Mischo (-5), and Social Security Minister Martine Deprez (-3).

Finance Minister Gilles Roth and MP Martine Kemp remain stable compared to November 2024. Only CSV parliamentary group leader Marc Spautz records a gain, adding two points.

Eval Oppositioun

Within the DP, only Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel (+2), Culture Minister Eric Thill (+1), and Minister for Digitalisation Stéphanie Obertin (+1) improved their standings. All other DP members lost points.

In the LSAP, Paulette Lenert (+2), Dan Biancalana, Francine Closener, and Ben Polidori (each +1) gained ground, while Taina Bofferding (-4) and Marc Angel (-3) declined.

Alongside Luc Frieden’s sharp drop, ADR MP Fernand Kartheiser also saw a significant fall, losing eight points. Ilres conducted the survey while public debate surrounded Kartheiser’s controversial trip to Moscow, suggesting a clear correlation.

The Greens may take comfort in Sam Tanson’s top 10 return, but their MEP Tilly Metz loses seven points.

Among the smaller parties, Sven Clement of the Pirates (+3) and Marc Baum of déi Lénk (+3) perform better than in November.

Overall, the survey results suggest voters have a lukewarm view of Luxembourg’s political class, with “mediocrity” standing out as a central theme. Only Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel distinguishes himself on sympathy and competence.

Pomo Eval Parteien

Government performance rated poorly

Recent political developments appear to have influenced the Politmonitor. Ongoing crises in social dialogue, controversy around pension reform, and persistent housing challenges all weighed heavily on public opinion.

The government's performance received significantly worse ratings than in November. A full 40 percent of respondents judged it poorly, including 11 percent who said “very poorly.” According to Manon Breden of Ilres, such a negative outcome is unprecedented in Politmonitor history. An additional 11 percent expressed no opinion on the government's performance.

While 61 percent of respondents rated the government's work positively in November 2024, that number has now dropped to 49 percent – with nearly half of those calling it only “somewhat good.”

Despite the critical tone, Frieden retains strong backing from within his party. Ninety-one percent of core CSV voters still approve of the government's work, compared to 71 percent of core DP voters. In contrast, core voters of LSAP, ADR and the Greens largely view the government’s performance as poor.

Additional Politmonitor results will be released on Wednesday, focusing on the issues most important to voters and current political questions.