Description

Every municipality in Luxembourg is led by a municipal council, which comprises the mayor, aldermen and municipal councillors. They are directly elected for a six-year-term by the inhabitants of the municipality who are entitled to vote. The number of members of the municipal councils varies according to the municipality's population, but it is always uneven.

Municipal elections are held, in accordance with law, on the second Sunday in October preceding the expiry of the mandate of the municipal council. As the last municipal elections were held on 9 October 2011, the next elections to be held are scheduled for 8 October 2017.

In accordance with the electoral law, elections are either based on the system of the relative majority – in municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 – or according to the proportional representation system in municipalities with a population exceeding 3,000. In the first case, candidates appear individually on the ballot. In the second case, candidates are grouped on electoral lists. The maximum number of candidates per list is equal to the number of members of the municipal council which is being elected.

Each municipality forms a constituency. Each voter has as many votes as there are councilors to be elected to the municipal council. He may award two votes to each of the candidates up to the total of the votes he has at his disposal.

Voting is compulsory for all those registered on the electoral roll.

Non-Luxembourgers who have been residing in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for at least five years at the time of the application for registration on the electoral roll have the right to vote in municipal elections. The law on municipal elections also allows foreigners to run for municipal mandates, including for the positions of mayor or alderman. Candidates must have resided in Luxembourg for at least 5 years and have lived in the municipality for 6 months.

The official website of the elections in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg provides detailed information on:

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