Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei
AbbreviationLSAP
POSL
LeaderDan Biancalana[1]
Francine Closener[2]
Founded5 July 1902 (historical)
1945 (modern)
Headquarters68, rue de Gasperich
Luxembourg
Youth wingLuxembourg Socialist Youths
IdeologySocial democracy[3][4][5][6]
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre-left[5][6][7]
Regional affiliationSGD/SVD[8]
European affiliationParty of European Socialists
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
Socialist International
European Parliament groupProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats[5]
Colours  Red
Chamber of Deputies
11 / 60
European Parliament
1 / 6
Local councils
154 / 722
Benelux Parliament
2 / 7
Website
www.lsap.lu

The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei, French: Parti ouvrier socialiste luxembourgeois, German: Luxemburger Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei), abbreviated to LSAP or POSL,[9] is a social-democratic,[3][4][5][6] pro-European[5] political party in Luxembourg. The LSAP sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum.

The LSAP is the third-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, having won 11 of 60 seats at the 2023 general election, and has one seat in the European Parliament. Since March 2022, the party's President have been Francine Closener and Dan Biancalana.[10]

The party is close to the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, the country's largest trade union centre, but they have no formal links.[11] The LSAP is particularly strong in the south of the country,[11] controlling most of the mayoralties in the large towns of the Red Lands. It is affiliated with the Socialist International, the Progressive Alliance, and the Party of European Socialists.

History

The party was formed on 5 July 1902 as the Social Democratic Party. Left-wing elements split in 1905 to create the Social Democratic Workers' Party. These were both re-united in 1912. In 1916, the party was renamed to 'Socialist Party', part of the Second International.

On 2 January 1921, communist elements split to create the Communist Party of Luxembourg. The Socialist Party was renamed the "Luxembourg Workers' Party" in 1924, and was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940.[12] On 5 November 1937, the Party joined the government for the first time, in a coalition under Prime Minister Pierre Dupong.

Post-war

The party was reformed after the Second World War as the 'Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party', in the mould of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom,[13] where the government had been exiled. In the first election after the war, in 1945, the LSAP was the big loser, falling to 26% of the vote, but remained in the National Union Government, along with all other parties.[13] In 1947, the party started its process of re-building itself, and it managed to join a coalition government (1951–1959 in the Dupong-Bodson and Bech Bodson governments, and 1964–1968 in the Werner-Cravatte government). The discussions over the party's direction split the LSAP again. On 2 May 1970, Henry Cravatte was ejected as President by a trades union-led coup. In March 1971, centrist elements, led by Cravatte, split to create the Social Democratic Party.[14] Those who left included 6 Deputies and most of the party leadership.

However, the LSAP could recover by 1974 and joined the DP in a centre-left coalition (the Thorn-Vouel-Berg government), which enacted important social reforms: judicial system reforms (including a humanisation of the penal system), introduction of a fifth week of holiday, general introduction of the 40-hour week, the salary index, reform of unemployment benefits. This did not prevent an electoral defeat in 1979. In this legislative period, the LSAP held their famous energy conference, and decided a moratorium for the atomic power station of Remerschen. This was the definitive end of the project.

In 1984, the LSAP were re-united with most of the Social Democratic Party (some members joined the Christian Social People's Party).

Recent history

Following the 2004 general election, the LSAP served in the government of Luxembourg as junior partner to the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) under Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker in the first Juncker–Asselborn government, with the LSAP's Jean Asselborn serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. The coalition with the CSV continued as the second Juncker–Asselborn government following the 2009 general election, which lasted until July 2013 when the LSAP withdrew its support from the government, necessitating early elections.[15]

Following the 2013 general election, the LSAP was in a three-party Bettel–Schneider government with the Democratic Party and The Greens, with the Democratic Party's Xavier Bettel serving as Prime Minister and Etienne Schneider of the LSAP as Deputy Prime Minister. Since 2023, they have been in opposition again.

Election results

Chamber of Deputies

Election Votes  % Elected seats Seats after +/– Government
1919 231,672 15.6 (#2)
8 / 48
 New Opposition
1922[lower-alpha 1] 73,963 10.7 (#4)
4 / 25
6 / 48
 Decrease 2 Opposition
1925 253,256 16.2 (#2)
8 / 47
 Steady Opposition
1928[lower-alpha 1] 352,970 32.6 (#2)
10 / 28
12 / 52
 Increase 4 Opposition
1931[lower-alpha 1] 153,805 19.2 (#2)
5 / 27
15 / 54
 Increase 3 Opposition
1934[lower-alpha 1] 404,729 29.4 (#2)
10 / 29
14 / 54
 Decrease 1 Opposition
1937[lower-alpha 1] 238,665 24.7 (#2)
7 / 26
18 / 55
 Increase 4 Coalition
1945 569,025 23.4 (#2)
11 / 51
 Decrease 7 Coalition
1948[lower-alpha 1] 481,755 37.8 (#1)
10 / 26
15 / 51
 Increase 4 Opposition
1951[lower-alpha 1] 372,177 33.8 (#2)
9 / 26
19 / 52
 Increase 4 Coalition
1954 831,836 35.1 (#2)
17 / 52
 Decrease 2 Coalition
1959 848,523 34.9 (#2)
17 / 52
 Steady Opposition
1964 999,843 37.7 (#1)
21 / 56
 Increase 4 Coalition
1968 837,555 32.3 (#2)
18 / 56
 Decrease 3 Opposition
1974 875,881 29.2 (#2)
17 / 59
 Decrease 1 Coalition
1979 787,863 24.3 (#2)
14 / 59
 Decrease 3 Opposition
1984 1,104,740 33.6 (#2)
21 / 64
 Increase 7 Coalition
1989 840,094 26.2 (#2)
18 / 60
 Decrease 3 Coalition
1994 797,450 25.4 (#2)
17 / 60
 Decrease 1 Coalition
1999 695,718 22.3 (#3)
13 / 60
 Decrease 4 Opposition
2004 784,048 23.4 (#2)
14 / 60
 Increase 1 Coalition
2009 695,830 21.6 (#2)
13 / 60
 Decrease 1 Coalition
2013 664,586 20.2 (#2)
13 / 60
 Steady Coalition
2018 621,332 17.6 (#2)
10 / 60
 Decrease 3 Coalition
2023 711,890 18.9 (#2)
11 / 60
 Increase 1 Opposition
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Partial election. Only half of the seats were up for renewal.

European Parliament

Election Votes  % Seats +/–
1979 211,106 21.6 (#3)
1 / 6
1984 296,382 29.9 (#2)
2 / 6
 Increase 1
1989 252,920 25.4 (#2)
2 / 6
 Steady
1994 251,500 24.8 (#1)
2 / 6
 Steady
1999 239,048 23.6 (#2)
2 / 6
 Steady
2004 240,484 22.1 (#2)
1 / 6
 Decrease 1
2009 219,349 19.5 (#2)
1 / 6
 Steady
2014 137,504 11.7 (#4)
1 / 6
 Steady
2019 152,900 12.2 (#4)
1 / 6
 Steady

Presidents

The formal leader of the party is the president. However, often, a government minister will be the most important member of the party, as Jean Asselborn is now. Below is a list of presidents of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party since 1945.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Comité directeur". lsap.lu. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "Comité directeur". lsap.lu. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 Hans Slomp (30 September 2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. p. 477. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 Dimitri Almeida (27 April 2012). The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus. CRC Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-136-34039-0. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Luxembourg". Europe Elects.
  6. 1 2 3 Xenophon Contiades (20 December 2012). Engineering Constitutional Change: A Comparative Perspective on Europe, Canada and the USA. Routledge. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-136-21077-8. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Josep M. Colomer (24 July 2008). Comparative European Politics. Taylor & Francis. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-203-94609-1. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Politieke fracties". Benelux Parliament (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  9. ↑ LSAP is more commonly used, although the French POSL is also mandated by the party's statutes. "LSAP party statutes" (in French). Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. 17 March 2002. Archived from the original on 12 January 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
  10. ↑ "Comité directeur". lsap.lu. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. 1 2 Hearl (1987), p. 255
  12. ↑ Kowalski, Werner. Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 – 19. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 308
  13. 1 2 Thewes (2006), p. 123
  14. ↑ Lucardie, A.P.M. "De Stiefkinderen van de Sociaal-Democrati" (PDF). Jaarboek Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen 1990 (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker calls for new elections amid scandal". Deutsche Welle. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Les présidents du LSAP depuis 1945". Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010.

References

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