While nationals from the EU and Schengen area can enlist on an electoral list, other foreign nationals can do the same if they hold a residence permit or card. Once enrolled, voting becomes mandatory. However, in 2017, only 34,000 of the 285,000 registered voters were foreigners, indicating that many foreign residents either lacked information or desire to participate in local elections.
The Association for the Support of Immigrant Workers (ASTI) stressed the importance of foreign voters’ representation last April. They emphasized that with foreign residents constituting 50% of the population across municipalities, it’s crucial for election results to reflect this demographic. This concern arises not only from the low turnout of foreign voters but also the lack of foreign candidates.
In an attempt to bolster foreign participation, the government removed the five-year residency requirement for voting in 2022. As a result, almost 10,000 non-Luxembourgers who had lived in the country for less than five years could vote, as reported by Sylvain Besch, director of the Centre for Study and Intercultural and Social Training.
Recent data from the Ministry for Home Affairs shows that there are 329,725 registered voters, with 50,093 being foreign residents. Nearly 21,000 of the foreign voters registered at the start of this year, showing a significant increase from 2017. However, ASTI points out that communication gaps persist, as only one in five foreigners, out of a possible 252,464, is anticipated to vote.
ASTI suggests persistent and visible reminders encouraging voter registration, criticizing the use of Luxembourgish signs which may confuse uninformed Luxembourgers and prove difficult for foreign residents to comprehend.
Interestingly, Luxembourg’s electoral laws also permit foreign residents to run for office. In the 2017 elections, voters had the choice between 3,308 Luxembourg nationals and 267 non-nationals. This year, foreign residents comprise 379 of the total 3,847 candidates.
For instance, the Pirate Party has a 21.8% foreign resident representation in its candidate list. The Left party and Fokus have 20% and 19.1% foreign candidates respectively. Among the government coalition, the Greens lead with 16.3% foreign candidates, whereas the Democratic Party (DP) and the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) trail with 9.3% and 7.9% respectively. The Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) has the fewest foreign candidates, with a representation of just 6.3%.
