Luxemburg may give vote to foreigners
Print Edition
LUXEMBURGERS will vote tomorrow on extending voting rights to foreigners — a move that would not only be unprecedented in Europe but could expand the electorate of the tiny but cosmopolitan grand duchy by as much as 50 percent.
The referendum is backed by liberal Prime Minister Xavier Bettel as part of a modernizing agenda that includes lowering the voting age to 16 from 18 and introducing 10-year term limits for ministers, following the 19-year rule of his conservative predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker, now the European Union’s chief executive.
Recent polls, however, suggest the more vocal No camp has an edge, backed by Juncker’s party, now in opposition, which says long-time foreign residents should instead seek citizenship.
Pushing for a Yes vote, dozens of business leaders signed a newspaper advert this week describing votes for foreigners as “a unique opportunity for Luxembourg and no danger to Luxemburgers.”
In the event of a Yes, parliament would draft constitutional changes that would have to be ratified by a second plebiscite.
Nearly half of Luxembourg’s 540,000 inhabitants are foreign. The referendum will ask whether foreigners who have lived in Luxembourg for 10 years and have exercised their existing right to vote in municipal elections should also have the franchise for national ballots. About 35,000 already qualify and that could rise beyond 100,000 if all those resident for a decade or more started to register and cast votes in local elections.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
