Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg

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Chambre des Députés
Chamber of Deputies
Type Unicameral
President Lucien Weiler, CSV
since 30 July 2004
Members 60
Political groups CSV (24), LSAP (14), DP (10), Greens (7), ADR (4)
Last elections 13 June 2004
Meeting place Hôtel de la Chambre, Luxembourg City
Web site www.chd.lu
Luxembourg

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The Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourgish: Châmber vun Députéirten, French: Chambre des Députés, German: Abgeordnetenkammer), abbreviated to the Chamber, is the unicameral national legislature of Luxembourg. 'Krautmaart' is sometimes used as a metonym for the Chamber, after the square on which the Hôtel de la Chambre is located.

The Chamber is made up of 60 seats. Deputies are elected to serve five-year terms by proportional representation in four multi-seat constituencies. Voters may vote for as many candidates as the constituency elects deputies.

Contents

[edit] Functions

The function of the Chamber of Deputies is covered under Chapter IV of the Luxembourgian constitution, the first article of which states that the purpose of the Chamber is to represent the country.[1] Luxembourg is a parliamentary democracy,[2] in which the Chamber is elected by universal suffrage under the d'Hondt method of Party-list proportional representation.[3]

All laws must be passed by the Chamber.[4] Each bill must be submitted to two votes in the Chamber, with an interval of at least three months between the votes, for it to become law.[5] Laws are passed by absolute majority, provided that a quorum of half of the deputies is present.[6]

[edit] Hôtel de la Chambre

Main article: Hôtel de la Chambre

The Chamber of Deputies holds session in the Hôtel de la Chambre, located on Krautmaart, in the Ville Haute quarter of Luxembourg City. It was originally built between 1858 and 1860 as an annex to the Grand Ducal Palace (then , which had, until then, been used as one of many venues for the Chamber's convocations.[7]

The building was designed by Antoine Hartmann in a unified historicist style, combining elements of neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance, and neo-classical architectural genres.[7] The Grand Ducal Palace, by contrast, was built over time in several architectural styles (primarily Renaissance and Baroque), but renovated in 1891 in a historicist neo-Renaissance manner.[8]

[edit] Latest election

Main article: Luxembourgian legislative election, 2004
e•d Summary of the results of the 13 June 2004 election to Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies
Party % Change Seats Change
Christian Social People's Party (CSV) 36.1 +6.0 24 +5
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) 23.4 +1.1 14 +1
Democratic Party (DP) 16.1 -6.3 10 -5
The Greens 11.6 +2.5 7 +2
Action Committee for Democracy and Pensions Justice (ADR) 9.9 -1.4 5 -2
The Left 1.9 -1.4 0 -1
Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL) 0.9 N/A 0 N/A
Free Party of Luxembourg (FPL) 0.1 N/A 0 N/A
Total     60 0
Source: Centre Informatique de l'État

[edit] Current composition

Affiliation Deputies
Christian Social People's Party 231
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party 14
Democratic Party 10
The Greens 7
Alternative Democratic Reform Party 4
Independent 12
President of the Chamber 1
 Total
 60
 Government Majority
 15

1 Does not include Lucien Weiler, who is the President of the Chamber. Although Weiler is a CSV deputy, the President cannot vote or speak in debates (except to maintain order).[9]

2 Aly Jaerling left the ADR on 1 May 2006 to sit as an independent.[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Constitution, Article 50
  2. ^ Constitution, Article 51
  3. ^ Constitution, Article 51(3)
  4. ^ Constitution, Article 46
  5. ^ Constitution, Article 59
  6. ^ Constitution, Article 62
  7. ^ a b The Chamber of Deputies. Service Information et Presse (21 November 2003). Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  8. ^ Historical survey. Luxembourg City Tourist Office. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  9. ^ (French) Président. Chamber des Députés Luxembourg. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  10. ^ (French) ADR: Jaerling prend la tangente. PaperJam.lu (21 April 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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