Let’s demystify politics!
Just like me and Paul, there are many of you who were not born nor raised in Luxembourg. However, even though we moved here as adults, we call Luxembourg our home and want to have a say in the decisions that affect our community. This means that we need to have our voice heard in politics, too.
Because I’m the only person for the moment not born nor raised in Luxembourg to have reached the leadership of a political party (deputy Secretary General of CSV), I want to help. This is why, back in 2017, I started a campaign called #letsDemystifyPolitics. It aims at building a bridge between members of the international community and local, national and European politicians, facilitating the contact and the exchange of views and opinions and, hopefully, helping increase their political participation. You might have heard about the 12 visits of the Parliament (la Chambre des Députés) that I’ve organized in 2022 alone.
In this context, last week I’ve also organized a visit of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, at the invitation of MEPs Isabel Wiseler-Lima and Christophe Hansen.
The group was very diverse and included members of CSV International (CSV’s organization dedicated to the international community), as well as representatives of different associations and professional chambers from Luxembourg, such as Amcham, The Network or the American Women’s Club.
Not sure if you were able to vote in the European elections to elect the 6 MEPs who currently represent Luxembourg at the EP. Visiting the Hemicycle, where all MEPs sit during plenary sessions was a great experience and we also witnessed from the public gallery the voting process through which the Luxembourgish MEP, Marc Angel, has been elected as new Vice-President of the EP.
Those of you who acquired the Luxembourgish nationality will have the opportunity and obligation to vote this year in the communal elections (in June) and in the national elections (in October). If you didn’t acquire the Luxembourgish nationality, yet, and still want to have a say in politics, you can do it at the local level already. In a country with almost 50% of its population not having the Luxembourgish nationality but having the right to vote, unfortunately only a few of you from the international community is using your democratic right to vote in the local elections, which happen every 6 years. This translates into extremely low representatives: only 15 non-Luxembourgers were elected communal counsellors in the last elections in the entire country, out of a total of 522.
Can we do better this time? Would you like to lead by example and register to vote in the local elections in your commune?
It’s so very easily done on MyGuichet.lu by using the link below:
You and I have many things in common, beyond moving to Luxembourg as adults and, of course, reading Amcham’s newsletters. We all had to face a certain number of challenges related to moving to a new country, such as finding a new home, getting to know your new city and country, making new friends, learning one or more new languages, maybe also finding a suitable school for a child or a job for your spouse… This is why we need people with a similar personal journey to ours, as well as similar needs and challenges, to get a voice in the local politics and then in the national politics.
Because in politics, we all have a role to play, I trust that together we can help increase the political participation of the international community in the upcoming local elections in June 2023. If you wish to test your knowledge on the Luxembourgish electoral system, I’m organizing a Quiz afternoon “Do you know how to vote” for the international community. It will take place on Sunday 5th of March from 3 to 6 pm, snacks and drinks are offered, at the Cultural Centre in Cessange. Registration is free of charge on the link below: https://www.eventbrite.be/e/quiz-afternoon-do-you-know-how-to-vote-tickets-522931721857
I’d like to thank Amcham for their leadership in building awareness about the importance of everyone’s political participation.
