5.1 General context
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Main concepts
The government declaration in the Luxembourgish Youth Report 2010 takes up the concept of participation and emphasises both the political and the social dimensions of participation.
The declaration states that 'Youth policy will thus place the concept of participation at its centre. It is a question of the social and political participation of individuals and the means placed at their disposal for them to assume their role in society, to influence their environment, and play a part in the future of our society.' (p. XVIII)
Participation of young people is assured by different bodies which were introduced by the 2008 youth law (see: 5.3 Youth representation bodies) and by the 2017 grand-ducal regulation on non-formal education of children and young people, which defines political and social participation as important objectives of non-formal education.
Institutions of representative democracy
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a representative democracy in the form of a constitutional monarchy. Luxembourg is a centralised state (Political System).
The organisation of the Luxembourg state is based on the principle of the separation of powers. There are many relationships between the executive and legislative powers, although the judiciary remains completely independent.
The main representative institution at national level is the parliament, consisting of 60 members who are elected every five years.
At local level, the municipal council is directly elected for a six-year term by the inhabitants of the municipality who are entitled to vote. There is no representative institution at the regional level.
Voting is on site by default. Voting by post or by proxy is only allowed under certain conditions (e.g. people over 75 years of age or when individuals provide sufficient reasons for doing so in advance).
Voting is compulsory for all elections. Refusal to vote may be punished by a fine.
Only persons over the age of 18 with Luxembourg nationality are eligible to vote in legislative elections. In the municipal elections, non-luxembourgish residents of a municipality who have reached the age of majority may register on the municipal electoral lists, subject to certain conditions regarding the period of residence. From then on, they are obliged to vote in the municipal elections.