The Christian Social People's Party (Luxembourgish: Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei, French: Parti populaire chrétien-social, German: Christlich Soziale Volkspartei), abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian-democratic[1][2][14] and conservative ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, is strongly pro-European.[6] The CSV is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and the Centrist Democrat International (CDI).
Christian Social People's Party Chrëschtlech-Sozial Vollekspartei | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | CSV PCS |
President | Luc Frieden |
General Secretary | Françoise Kemp Alex Donnersbach |
Founded | December 1944 |
Preceded by | Party of the Right |
Headquarters | 4 rue de l'Eau Luxembourg |
Youth wing | Christian Social Youth |
Ideology | Christian democracy[1][2] Conservatism[3][4][5] Pro-Europeanism[6] |
Political position | Centre[6][7] to centre-right[8][9][10][11][12] |
Regional affiliation | Christian Group[13] |
European affiliation | European People's Party |
International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
European Parliament group | European People's Party |
Colours | Black Light blue Orange White |
Slogan | Kloer, no & gerecht. (Clear, close, and just.) |
Chamber of Deputies | 21 / 60 |
European Parliament | 2 / 6 |
Local councils | 192 / 722 |
Benelux Parliament | 2 / 7 |
Website | |
www | |
The CSV has been the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies since the party's formation, and currently holds 21 of 60 seats in the Chamber. Since the Second World War, every Prime Minister of Luxembourg has been a member of the CSV, with only two exceptions: Gaston Thorn (1974–1979), and Xavier Bettel (2013–2023). It holds two of Luxembourg's six seats in the European Parliament, as it has for 14 of the 44 years for which MEPs have been directly elected.
The party's President has been Prime Minister Luc Frieden since March 2024. A leading figure from the party is the former Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, who previously governed in coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) until the 2013 general election.
The earliest roots of the CSV date back to the foundation of the Party of the Right on 16 January 1914.
In December 1944, the Party of the Right was officially transformed into the Luxembourg Christian Social People's Party. "Luxembourg" was dropped from the name by late March 1945. The first elections after the Second World War took place in 1945; the party won 25 out of 51 seats, missing an absolute majority by a single seat.
From 1945 to 1974, the party was in government and gave Luxembourg the following Prime Ministers: Pierre Dupong, Joseph Bech, Pierre Frieden, and Pierre Werner. Mostly in coalition with the Democratic Party (DP), it gave Luxembourg a certain economic and social stability.
In the 1950s, the party structure underwent a certain democratisation: the party's youth section (founded in 1953) and women's section received representation in the party's central organs.[15]
The party went into opposition for the first time in 1974, when the Democratic Party's Gaston Thorn became Prime Minister in coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). In 1979, the party returned to government after its victory in the 1979 general election; Pierre Werner became PM.
In 1984, Jacques Santer became PM. He remained as such until 1995, when Jean-Claude Juncker became PM, with Santer meanwhile taking up the post of President of the European Commission.
Following the 2013 general election, the party went into opposition for the second time in its history as the Democratic Party's Xavier Bettel became Prime Minister in coalition with the LSAP and The Greens, making it the first time in Luxembourg's history that a three-party coalition government had been formed. This also marked the first time that The Greens were part of a governmental coalition. Despite remaining the largest party, the result of the 2018 general election represented the lowest public support in the party's history.
Election | Votes | % | Elected seats | Seats after | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1945 | 907,601 | 44.7 (#1) | 25 / 51
|
New | Coalition | |
1948[a] | 386,972 | 36.3 (#1) | 9 / 26
|
22 / 51
|
2 | Coalition |
1951[a] | 425,545 | 42.1 (#1) | 12 / 26
|
21 / 52
|
1 | Coalition |
1954 | 1,003,406 | 45.2 (#1) | 26 / 52
|
5 | Coalition | |
1959 | 896,840 | 38.9 (#1) | 21 / 52
|
5 | Coalition | |
1964 | 883,079 | 35.7 (#1) | 22 / 56
|
1 | Coalition | |
1968 | 915,944 | 37.5 (#1) | 21 / 56
|
1 | Coalition | |
1974 | 836,990 | 29.9 (#1) | 18 / 59
|
3 | Opposition | |
1979 | 1,049,390 | 36.4 (#1) | 24 / 59
|
6 | Coalition | |
1984 | 1,148,085 | 36.7 (#1) | 25 / 64
|
1 | Coalition | |
1989 | 977,521 | 32.4 (#1) | 22 / 60
|
3 | Coalition | |
1994 | 887,651 | 30.3 (#1) | 21 / 60
|
1 | Coalition | |
1999 | 870,985 | 30.1 (#1) | 19 / 60
|
2 | Coalition | |
2004 | 1,103,825 | 36.1 (#1) | 24 / 60
|
5 | Coalition | |
2009 | 1,129,368 | 38.0 (#1) | 26 / 60
|
2 | Coalition | |
2013 | 1,103,636 | 33.7 (#1) | 23 / 60
|
3 | Opposition | |
2018 | 999,381 | 28.3 (#1) | 21 / 60
|
2 | Opposition | |
2023 | 1,099,427 | 29.2 (#1) | 21 / 60
|
0 | Coalition |
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | 352,296 | 36.1 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
|
1984 | 345,586 | 34.9 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
|
1989 | 346,621 | 34.9 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
|
1994 | 319,462 | 31.5 (#1) | 2 / 6
|
1 |
1999 | 321,021 | 31.7 (#1) | 2 / 6
|
|
2004 | 404,823 | 37.1 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
1 |
2009 | 353,094 | 31.4 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
|
2014 | 441,578 | 37.7 (#1) | 3 / 6
|
|
2019 | 264,665 | 21.1 (#2) | 2 / 6
|
1 |
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2014) |
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2011) |
+ Died in office
The liberal Democratic Party and the conservative Christian Social People's Party will both send two MEPs to the European Parliament having scored 21.44 and 21.1% respectively.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who belongs to the conservative Christian Social People's Party, last week not-so-subtly said he's supporting "a female candidate" for president of the United States.
Over time, these parties have evolved and re-branded themselves as the social democratic Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), the liberal Democratic Party (DP) and the conservative Christian Social People's Party (CSV).
Centre-right CSV is still the biggest party in the country, but keeps shrinking
The local elections showed an overall strengthening of the centre-right CSV in bigger towns across Luxembourg.
Juncker's centre-right Christian Social People's party (CVSP) won 23 seats in the 60-strong parliament but a coalition of the liberal Democratic Party (DP), the centre-left LSAP and the Greens meant Juncker's days were numbered.
Juncker Jr. studied law at university but never practiced, honing his political skills by joining the centre-right Christian Social People's Party which fast-tracked him to a deputy's position (similar to a British MP) when he was just 30.
Media related to Chrëschtlech Sozial Vollekspartei at Wikimedia Commons