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1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

The minimum age for voting at national, municipal and European elections is 18 years. There are no special provisions for young people in the electoral law or rules. Electoral participation therefore follows the same legal framework for all eligible citizens, including young voters.

Luxembourg does not publish systematic age-disaggregated data on voter turnout specifically for young people. As a result, no comprehensive national statistics are available on electoral participation rates among young voters.

The question of lowering the voting age to 16 has been the subject of repeated public and political debate, in particular in the context of the constitutional reform process. This issue was formally addressed in the constitutional referendum held on 7 June 2015. The proposal was rejected by a large majority of voters.

Despite the rejection of this proposal, the issue of voting at 16 has remained present in youth policy debates. Youth organisations continue to raise the topic in discussions on democratic participation, political inclusion and the representation of young people. In this context, the National Youth Council (CGJL - de Jugendrot) regularly organises public debates and youth-led events on democratic participation and voting rights.

Young people as political representatives

A legislation exists that defines an age limit for standing as a candidate in elections. According to the 2003 law on voting (loi électorale du 18 février 2003), the age limit for standing as a candidate in national, municipal and European elections is 18 years. There is no further legislation dealing with young people as candidates.

At national level, data on the age composition of elected representatives show some level of youth representation. Since the parliamentary elections in 2023, the youngest representative is 29 years old but the average age of members of parliament exceeded 50 years (Parliament data, 2023).

At European level, Luxembourg was represented in the European Parliament by one representative under the age of 30 in 2023.

In addition to standing as candidates in elections, young people may engage in representative democracy through youth wings of political parties. Participation in these structures is voluntary and provides a recognised pathway into representative political engagement, complementing non-partisan participation mechanisms such as the Youth Parliament.