Standing as a candidate in the European elections
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All persons registered on the electoral rolls (the list of Luxembourgers and the list of EU-citizens who are voting in the European elections), as well as Luxembourg citizens residing abroad who make a request for postal voting, will elect 6 members of the European Parliament every 5 years.
For the European elections, Luxembourg is a single electoral district. Elections are conducted using the list system with proportional representation. The political parties have to draw up lists of candidates.
At least 65 days before polling day, the chief polling officer at the main polling station publishes a notice setting the dates, times, and location where the officer will receive the declaration of candidates and witness details.
Who is concerned
Eligibility
To be eligible, a potential candidate must:
- be a Luxembourg citizen or a national of another EU Member State;
- enjoy civil rights and not have been stripped of the right to vote either in Luxembourg or in their home EU Member State.
- be at least 18 years of age on the day of the election;
- for Luxembourg nationals, reside in Luxembourg;
- for nationals of other EU Member States, be domiciled in Luxembourg and have been resident there when the list of candidates was filed.
The loss of any one of the eligibility requirement leads to termination of the mandate.
Ineligibility
The following are not eligible:
- persons stripped of their eligibility following a conviction;
- persons who have been stripped of the right to vote following a conviction for lesser offences;
- individuals who have been convicted of criminal offences.
Incompatibility
The following cannot be members of the European Parliament:
- civil servants, employees or workers engaged in paid employment by:
- the State;
- public-sector establishments under the authority of the Government;
- a commune or an association of communes;
- public-sector establishments under the authority of a commune;
- members of the Government, members of the Chamber of Deputies and members of the Council of State. Accepting a European mandate will entail their resignation from their employment;
- representatives of Luxembourg:
- parents or relatives up to the second degree; or
- united by marriage.
If parents or relatives up to the second degree are elected at the same time, the chief polling officer will draw lots to determine who will be the elected candidate.
Deadlines
At least 65 days before polling day, the chief polling officer at the main polling station publishes a notice setting the dates, times, and location where the officer will receive the declaration of candidates and witness details.
All candidate lists must be submitted to the clerk of the court of the District Court in Luxembourg at least 60 days prior to the date of the election.
How to proceed
Preparing a candidate application
Each candidate must prepare a declaration of candidacy which must:
- specify the candidate's surname, first name(s), gender, address, profession, and nationality;
- contain the acceptance of their candidacy;
- be signed.
Drawing up a list of candidates and representatives
Deputies (members of parliament) are elected using the list system with proportional representation: As such, European election candidates must be part of a list composed of a group of candidates.
Independent candidates are, however, considered as forming their own list.
Each list includes:
- a maximum of 6 candidates (corresponding to the 6 Luxembourg representatives at the European Parliament);
- a majority of candidates with Luxembourgish nationality;
- the candidates' surnames, first name(s), gender, address, profession, and nationality;
- the surnames, first name(s), gender, address, and profession of the voters or elected persons who present them.
Nationals of other EU Member States wishing to stand as a candidate must also produce the following documents:
- a formal declaration specifying:
- their nationality, their date and place of birth, their last address in their country of origin, and their address in Luxembourg;
- where applicable, the electoral roll of the local area or constituency in the Member State of origin where they were last registered;
- that they are not also standing as a candidate for the European elections in another Member State;
- that they have not been stripped of the right to stand as a candidate in their Member State of origin:
- following an individual court decision or an administrative decision, provided that the latter can be subject to appeal, or;
- because of residence conditions imposed by the State of origin.
- a valid identity document.
False declarations are subject to penalties.
Each list of candidates is presented by a representative jointly with either:
- 250 voters. In this case, the representative is appointed by and among the 250 representatives on the list;
- a member of the European Parliament elected in Luxembourg or a Member of Parliament. In that case, the representative is appointed from among the candidates on this list or the elected representatives who present it.
Additional conditions
It should be noted that:
- no one may appear, either as candidate or as representative, on more than one list;
- no one may stand as a candidate for the same elections simultaneously in another EU Member State;
- each list must have a name. If different lists have identical names, the representative must make the necessary distinctions. Failing this and before the expiry of the deadline for the submission of candidacies, these lists will be designated by a letter of order of submission by the president of the main polling station;
- notifications and additions to the list may and must be submitted before the expiry of the deadline for the declaration of candidacies:
- a candidate registered on a list may only be removed if they notify the chief polling officer of the main polling station, by bailiff's deed, of their desire to withdraw;
- additions may be made to any list, provided that the names of the candidates are presented by all the signatories of the list.
The chief polling officer at the main polling station records the candidate lists in the order in which they are presented and issues a receipt to each representative in the representative's name.
Designation of witnesses and alternate witnesses
On submitting their candidate lists, each representative may nominate no more than one witness and one alternate witness from among the voters in the commune to observe the voting process.
Who to contact
-
District Court District Court Luxembourg
- Address:
-
Cité Judiciaire - Plateau du Saint-Esprit
L-2010
Luxembourg
Luxembourg
B.P. 15
- Phone:
- (+352) 47 59 81 1
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Further information
-
Élections.public.lu
Official elections website of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
-
European elections
on Your Europe
