Early general elections held in Luxembourg

Luxembourg went to the polls on Sunday in a snap election after Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg for the past 18 years, had resigned over a spying scandal in July. In spite of the scandal, Juncker is seen by many as a trustworthy politician capable of protecting Luxembourg's national interests in Europe and elsewhere. His center-right Christian Social People's Party (CSV) is still projected to top the poll. The CSV has been the dominant partner in governing coalitions for decades, and Juncker is very likely to continue serving as the prime minister, unless other parties manage to form an alliance against the CSV. "I hope my future will be here (in Luxembourg)," Juncker said in response to the question whether he would run for the position of the European Commission president when he went to vote at a polling station in the south of the Luxembourg city. "It's difficult to predict the result ... I hope there will be a change," said Etienne Schneider, the frontrunner for the center-left Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) as well as the former economic and foreign trade minister. More than 600 polling stations were set up across the tiny but rich country in West Europe from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., and nearly 238,600 voters were registered, or 6.6 percent higher than that of the 2009 election. Eve Albach, a 40-year-old museum worker, said she would vote for the Democratic Party. Annette Pohu, another voter who came to the polling station with her two sons, said she picked up politicians from different parties instead of supporting only one party. The parliament, or the 60-member Chamber of Deputies, is elected for a five-year term by proportional representation in four constituencies, namely the north, the south, the east and the center. Each voter has as many votes as there are members to be elected in his or her constituency. The prime minister, to be appointed by the Grand Duke after the elections, is usually the leader of the party or the coalition of parties gaining the most seats in the parliament. Luxembourg has an obligatory voting system for citizens between the age of 18 and 75, thus guaranteeing a very high turnout each time. Votes by mail are only allowed for people over the age of 75 or living abroad, while unjustified failure to vote will result in a fine of at least 100 euros.