The court’s ruling was primarily based on the ineligibility of one of the candidates, who failed to meet the requirements stated in Article 192 of the electoral law. Consequently, Dario Ballanti’s 836 votes were deemed invalid.
This verdict was the outcome of appeals submitted by multiple parties, including Mayor Camille Hoffmann’s list Är Lett (“Your People”), a voter, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. As the ruling has been delivered, the Ministry of Home Affairs now holds the responsibility of scheduling new local elections.
The court found that Ballanti, a candidate from the Biergerlëscht Beefort Déiljen Grondhaff (“Citizens’ List Beaufort Dillingen Grundhof”), did not comply with the residency clause outlined in the electoral law.
When Ballanti submitted his candidacy on 12 April, he had not been ordinarily resident in Beaufort for at least six months.
Despite this, Ballanti and his team stood in the elections on 11 June against the mayor’s team. Shortly after the elections, however, Ballanti voluntarily resigned from his position on the Beaufort local council, and the seat was subsequently assumed by Anne Kohl, who secured the fifth position in the election.
At the time, Ballanti reached out to our colleagues from RTL.lu to raise concerns about conflicts of interest, nepotism, and harassment in Beaufort.
With the annulment of the election, voters in Beaufort will once again have the opportunity to make their choices heard through the upcoming polls.
