Paulette Lenert, current MP for the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) and former health minister, has confirmed to RTL that she is interested in taking up a position on the Council of State.
A change among LSAP MPs appears likely before the summer, with Lenert putting her name forward for the role. The information was obtained by RTL and subsequently confirmed by Lenert herself. However, she noted that the opportunity arose unexpectedly, following the resignation of Yves Wagener a month ago for personal reasons. Wagener had been nominated by the Green Party (Déi Gréng) seven years ago.
The number of Council of State representatives a party is entitled to depends on its number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Currently, the LSAP is underrepresented on the 21-member council, holding only three seats.
So far, Lenert is the only LSAP politician to have expressed an interest. With a legal background, she stressed the importance of waiting for the Council of State to define the profile of the member it seeks – a step expected to take place soon. The profile is then forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, which issues a call for applications and must also vote on the LSAP’s nomination. Other individuals affiliated with or close to the party may also come forward. Ultimately, the LSAP General Council, composed of around 70 members, will decide whom the party nominates.
If Lenert is chosen, her seat in the Chamber of Deputies would become vacant. The candidate who received the most votes after Lenert in the Eastern constituency during the last legislative elections is Ben Streff, who stepped down as party manager in January. At the time, Streff had criticised the party’s former ministers for not being active enough on the ground. In the last legislative elections, Streff received nearly 5,500 votes – placing him slightly ahead of former MP Tess Burton and nearly 9,000 votes behind Lenert. According to the latest Politmonitor poll, Lenert remains the second most popular politician in the country, after DP Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel.
