At a press conference held on Friday to present its midterm review, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) delivered a harsh assessment of the coalition government, arguing that the alliance between the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and the Democratic Party (DP) has fallen short of its promises.
Now halfway through its mandate, the LSAP claims the coalition has reacted to events rather than shown strong leadership, and has failed to set a clear course for the country.
A key focus was the government's recently announced package of measures to tackle the housing crisis. According to LSAP parliamentary group leader Taina Bofferding, the proposed unified national building regulations will not result in the construction of any additional homes. She called on the government to switch to "crisis mode" and take a proactive, broad-based approach to intervene in a housing market that, in her view, is no longer functioning as it should.
The LSAP further repeated criticisms regarding other areas: In the health sector, the party sees a proliferation of uncoordinated initiatives. While a tax reform is welcome in principle, they argued that without counter-financing measures, the current proposals do not amount to genuine reform.
The LSAP also criticised the coalition for deliberately undermining social dialogue and for extending shop opening hours, a measure the party claims is not being widely used. The Socialists questioned whether these policy changes are truly beneficial.
Bofferding used a touch of humour to comment on recent opinion polls showing Prime Minister Luc Frieden's lack of popularity. Referring to the prominent role played by Xavier Bettel's dog in public, she quipped that Frieden's unpopularity is not because he lacks a canine companion, and added that she would be happy to lend him her dachshund.
More seriously, Bofferding suggested that the real problem is the Prime Minister's failure to engage directly with people in their neighbourhoods, arguing that if he did, he would be more in touch with citizens' everyday concerns.
As the largest opposition party, the LSAP expressed regret that many of its parliamentary initiatives are frequently delayed by the governing majority. As an example, the Socialists noted that it took a year before their proposal on the right to be forgotten ("Droit à l'oubli") was even discussed in the parliamentary health commission.
Addressing recent reports of disagreement within the party, notably the case when MP Liz Braz (LSAP) withdrew as a speaker on the asylum and migration package due to differences with the party line, Bofferding downplayed any suggestion of crisis. She insisted that the LSAP is not a party of "yes-men", and sees her role as parliamentary group leader as one of bringing together different viewpoints rather than avoiding internal debate.
One year after facing public criticism of her leadership style, Bofferding asserted she remains "as motivated as on the first day" to continue leading the parliamentary group.
