The European Parliament elections in Luxembourg will take place on 9 June this year. Ahead of the launch of the various campaigns, parties are looking to self-regulate what they are allowed to do in their efforts to convince voters. An agreement in principle has gathered support from all but one group – the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) – but a decision in the matter is expected when the ADR committee convenes on Tuesday.
Three rounds of negotiations have already been held by invitation of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV). According to CSV secretary general Stéphanie Weydert, they contacted all nine parties that signed a similar agreement ahead of last year’s elections. While she acknowledged that nothing has been signed as of yet, all parties have pledged their support with the exception of the ADR.
In conversation with RTL, ADR president Fred Keup stated on Monday that he does not know how the committee will vote: “It is often about details, also technical details, when it comes to placards and the number of brochures. We now have a text in front of us that our committee will likely look at tomorrow and then take a decision about whether to sign it, as we have always done so far, or if there are still things that we don’t like as much, where potential amendments could still be made.”
One point of contention for the ADR is the proposed ban on light-pole placards. However, the CSV’s Weydert doubts that the other parties can still be swayed to reconsider their position, as the majority is said to believe that it is both a matter of road safety and sustainability to prohibit roadside placards.
Aside from the suggested ban, the new agreement mostly reflects last year’s document. The campaign spending limit is once more set at €100,000. Parties also support that the campaign should be fought with policies rather than personal attacks.
The official campaign launch is 6 May.
