| Chamber of Deputies Luxembourgish: D'Chamber French: Chambre des Députés German: Abgeordnetenkammer |
|
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Founded | 1848 |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
| President | Laurent Mosar, CSV since 28 July 2009 |
| Structure | |
| Members | 60 |
| Political groups | Christian Social People's Party (26) Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (13) Democratic Party (9) The Greens (7) Alternative Democratic Reform Party (4) The Left (1) |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Open list proportional representation, allocated by the D'Hondt method in four constituencies |
| Last election | 7 June 2009 |
| Meeting place | |
| Hôtel de la Chambre, Krautmaart, Luxembourg City | |
| Website | |
| www.chd.lu | |
| Luxembourg |
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The Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourgish: D'Chamber, French: Chambre des Députés, German: Abgeordnetenkammer), abbreviated to the Chamber, is the unicameral national legislature of Luxembourg. 'Krautmaart' is sometimes used as a metonym for the Chamber, after the square on which the Hôtel de la Chambre is located.
The Chamber is made up of 60 seats. Deputies are elected to serve five-year terms by proportional representation in four multi-seat constituencies. Voters may vote for as many candidates as the constituency elects deputies.
Contents |
The function of the Chamber of Deputies is covered under Chapter IV of the Luxembourgian constitution, the first article of which states that the purpose of the Chamber is to represent the country.[1] Luxembourg is a parliamentary democracy,[2] in which the Chamber is elected by universal suffrage under the d'Hondt method of Party-list proportional representation.[3]
All laws must be passed by the Chamber.[4] Each bill must be submitted to two votes in the Chamber, with an interval of at least three months between the votes, for it to become law.[5] Laws are passed by absolute majority, provided that a quorum of half of the deputies is present.[6]
The Chamber is composed of sixty members, called deputies. They each represent one of four constituencies, which are each a combination of cantons. Each constituency elects a number of deputies proportionate to its population, with the largest electing 23 and the smallest electing 7.
| Constituency | Cantons | MPs |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | Luxembourg, Mersch | 21 |
| Est | Echternach, Grevenmacher, Remich | 7 |
| Nord | Clervaux, Diekirch, Redange, Vianden, Wiltz | 9 |
| Sud | Capellen, Esch-sur-Alzette | 23 |
Deputies are elected by universal suffrage every five years, with the last election having been held on 7 June 2009. Deputies are elected by open list proportional representation, whereby all electors may vote for as many candidates as their constituency has seats. Each party is allocated a number of seats in proportion to the total number of votes cast for its candidates in that constituency. These seats are then allocated to that party's candidates in descending order of votes that each candidate received.
| Party | % | Change | Seats | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Social People's Party (CSV) | 38.0 | +1.9 | 26 | +2 | |
| Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) | 21.6 | −1.8 | 13 | −1 | |
| Democratic Party (DP) | 15.0 | −1.1 | 9 | −1 | |
| The Greens | 11.7 | +0.1 | 7 | ±0 | |
| Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) | 8.1 | −1.8 | 4 | −1 | |
| The Left | 3.3 | +1.4 | 1 | +1 | |
| Communist Party (KPL) | 1.5 | +0.6 | 0 | — | |
| Citizens' List | 0.8 | N/A | 0 | N/A | |
| Total | 100.0 | — | 60 | — | |
| Source: Centre Informatique de l'État | |||||
The Chamber of Deputies holds session in the Hôtel de la Chambre, located on Krautmaart, in the Ville Haute quarter of Luxembourg City. It was originally built between 1858 and 1860 as an annex to the Grand Ducal Palace, which had, until then, been used as one of many venues for the Chamber's convocations.[7]
The building was designed by Antoine Hartmann in a unified historicist style, combining elements of neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance, and neo-classical architectural genres.[7] The Grand Ducal Palace, by contrast, was built over time in several architectural styles (primarily Renaissance and Baroque), but renovated in 1891 in a historicist neo-Renaissance manner.[8]
| Affiliation | Deputies |
|
| • | Christian Social People's Party | 251 |
| • | Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party | 13 |
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| The Greens | 7 | |
| Alternative Democratic Reform Party | 4 | |
| The Left | 1 | |
| President of the Chamber | 1 | |
| Total |
60 | |
| Government Majority |
17 | |
Government parties denoted with bullets (•)
1 Does not include Dave MacFarquhar, who is the President of the Chamber. Although MacFarquhar is a CSV deputy, the President cannot vote or speak in debates (except to maintain order).[9]