Alternative Democratic Reform Party
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The Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR; lb, Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei, french: Parti réformiste d'alternative démocratique, german: Alternative Demokratische Reformpartei) is a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and mildly populist
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
. It has four seats in the sixty-seat
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
, making it the fifth-largest party. The party was founded in 1987, as a
single-issue party Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea. Political expression One weakness of such an approach is that effective political parties are usually coalitions of faction ...
from demanding equality of
state pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
provision between
civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
s and all other citizens. In the 1989 election, it won four seats, and established itself as a political force. It peaked at seven seats in 1999, due to mistrust of politicians failing to resolve the pensions gap, before falling back to four today. Its significance on a national level makes it the most successful
pensioners' party Pensioners' Party or Party of Pensioners is a name commonly adopted by political organizations composed primarily of people who have a pension (generally elderly retirees) and who are interested in issues affecting their demographic group. However, ...
in western Europe. Political success has required the ADR to develop positions on all matters of public policy, developing an
anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...
, conservative platform. It has adopted
economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
, filling a gap vacated by the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
.Dumont et al (2006), p. 67 It is the largest party in
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
to take a Euro-realist/softly Eurosceptic line, and is a member of the
Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) (2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) (2016–2019), is a conservativ ...
. The ADR wishes to implement Swiss-style direct democracy and advocates and promotes intensely the preservation and use of the
Luxembourgish language Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of th ...
in state institutions and society. There has been debate whether the party should be classified as populist, although most experts agree that the ADR is better characterised as a national-conservative party.


History


Emergence

The ADR has its roots in a demonstration in
Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...
on 28 March 1987, held to protest at the disparities between the 5/6ths
final salary Defined benefit (DB) pension plan is a type of pension plan in which an employer/sponsor promises a specified pension payment, lump-sum, or combination thereof on retirement that depends on an employee's earnings history, tenure of service and Agei ...
scheme enjoyed by civil servants and the basic state pension received by everyone else. The large crowd, and the collection of 10,000 signatures for a petition demanding change, persuaded the organisers that there was widespread public support. The party was founded on 12 May 1987 as the 'Action Committee 5/6ths Pensions for Everyone' (''Aktiounskomitee 5/6 Pensioun fir jiddfereen''). In the 1989 election to the Chamber of Deputies, on 18 June 1989, the party achieved remarkable success by attracting votes from far beyond its core support base. Many Luxembourgers voted for the ADR as a
protest vote A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms a ...
, allowing the ADR to register 7.3% of the vote, win 4 of the 60 seats, and come fourth. The spectacular triumph of the party in the election required the leadership to formulate a new party strategy. On 12 November 1989, the name was amended to 'Action Committee 5/6ths' (''Aktiounskomitee 5/6''), reflecting its increased attention to other concerns. The party lost one of its deputies,
Josy Simon Josy is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Josy Ajiboye, Nigerian artist and cartoonist who worked at the Daily Times * Josy Barthel (1927–1992), Luxembourgish athlete * Josy Braun (1938–2012), Luxembourg writer, journalist ...
, when he defected to the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
in spring 1991. On 22 November 1992, the name was changed again, to 'Action Committee for Democracy and Pensions Justice' (''Aktiounskomitee fir Demokratie an Rentengerechtigkeet''). In December of the same year, the prominent deputy
Fernand Rau Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885– ...
defected from the
Christian Social People's Party The Christian Social People's Party ( lb, 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 f ...
(CSV) after it broke its pledge to make him
European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...
, increasing the ADR's representation back up to four. At the 10 October 1993 local elections, the ADR won 7 seats in communal councils. At the 1994 general election, the ADR got 9.0% of the vote and 5 seats, putting the ADR over the threshold required to qualify as a
caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
, but the ADR fell to fifth place, behind the resurgent Greens.


Mainstream party

On 3 August 1998, a law was passed equalising pension provision between civil servants and other workers, fulfilling the ADR's original ''raison d'être'', but this did not prevent the ADR from strengthening its position further. In the 1999 legislative election, the party enjoyed increased success, winning 9.4% of the vote and 7 seats. The results put the ADR back into fourth place, but the Greens managed to hold on to their seat in the simultaneous
European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until ...
. October 1999 saw ADR candidates elected in ten communes, with two winning in each of
Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...
and
Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (; lb, Esch-Uelzecht ; german: Esch an der Alzette or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, . It lies ...
. The ADR lost two of its Chamber of Deputies seats at the 2004 general election, and its share of the vote fell to under 10%. One of ADR's hallmark positions is its
euroscepticism Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...
, and it is the only eurosceptic party in the Chamber of Deputies. It was the only parliamentary party that actively campaigned against the
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...
, which was put to a referendum and narrowly passed with 56.5% of voters in favour. On 2 April 2006 the name was changed once more, to its current name of 'Alternative Democratic Reform Party' (''Alternativ Demokratesch Reformpartei''). Significantly, for the first time, the name makes no reference to pension reform, signalling the eagerness of the ADR to further solidify its position as a major party in national politics. However, on 1 May,
Aly Jaerling Alphonse 'Aly' Jaerling (born 30 January 1948 in Esch-sur-Alzette) is a Luxembourgish politician. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies from 1999, when he was first elected for the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) until 2009. He is also a me ...
left the party to sit as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
in the Chamber of Deputies, complaining of the move away from campaigning for pensions. As a result of Jaerling's departure, the party lost its status as a caucus and now only qualifies as a 'group', threatening its future security. On 29 May 2008, the ADR deputies and Jaerling were the only members not to vote for the
Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...
. In the 2009 Chamber election, the ADR held on to four seats (of which, 2 in Sud), but with a reduced vote share of 8.1%: its worst legislative election result since its first election, in 1989, whilst its vote share fell - albeit by less - in the simultaneous
European Parliament election Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Unti ...
, to 7.4%. Jaerling, running for his own
Citizens' List The Citizens' List ( lb, Biergerlëscht, french: Liste des citoyens) is a Luxembourgian political party. It was founded in the run-up to the 2009 Chamber of Deputies election and European election. It ran in two circonscriptions; in Sud, the ...
, failed to win a seat in either. This had been in spite of strong pre-election polling, the difference likely to be attributable to the financial crisis pushing voters to more familiar parties. On 8 June 2010, the ADR joined the
Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) (2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) (2016–2019), is a conservativ ...
, a Euro-Realist Europe-wide political party. In the snap-election of 2013, the ADR once again fell in their share of the vote, from 8.14% to 6.64%. However, they did manage to regain one seat, having fallen to only two MPs after the defections of Jacques-Yves Henckes and Jean Colombera. The former sat out the 2009-2013 legislative period as an independent, the latter founded the Party for Full Democracy.
Roy Reding Roy Reding, born 17 July 1965 in Luxembourg City, is a Luxembourgish Member of Parliament, lawyer, politician and vice-president of the ADR, as well as treasurer of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR), a centre-right euro ...
regained the mandate in the Centre district, putting the party back at 3 mandates. During the Constitutional Referendum Campaign of 2015, the ADR was the only party to explicitly campaign for the "3 x No" vote, thereby rejecting the opening of the right to vote for 16 year-olds and foreign residents, as well as rejecting the idea of limiting minister mandates to 10 years. This campaign was in stark contrast to the campaign of the largest party, the CSV, whose main message was to "be informed" when voting. With each question being rejected by between 70% and 80% of the electorate, this event represented a big political win for the ADR in face of the incumbent Government. 3 years after the Referendum, on 2 March 2018, the ADR announced that it would be co-operating with the citizen's movement Wee 2050 - Nee 2015, which had been founded pre-referendum to campaign for the "3 x No". The cooperation agreement involved Wee 2050 having up to 8 places on the ADR's electoral lists for the legislative election of October 2018, and ensured that the movement could remain relatively independent by not requiring the Wee 2050 candidates to be members of the ADR per se. In 2020-2021, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the ADR was the only political party in Luxembourg to oppose governmental measures like closing restaurants, claiming the restrictions infringed upon personal freedoms.


Ideology

The party was founded as a single-issue party, to introduce equality between private and public sector pensions. The focus on pension reform allowed it to make it the core campaign issue of all five elections in the first ten years of its formation. By 1998, the party had forced the government to accede almost all of its demands.Immergut et al (2007), p. 838 However, this success has not thwarted the ADR, and it has diversified its programme to cover all aspects of public policy. The party is a supporter of
economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
, having positioned itself to fill a void left by the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. The party is critical of public sector waste and the 'elitist' nature of public spending projects. The ADR is
socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
. It is opposed to
euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...
and
assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
. Luxembourgish
foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
and
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
politician
Jean Asselborn Jean Asselborn (; born 27 April 1949) is a Luxembourgish politician who has served in the government of Luxembourg as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2004. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 to 2013, under Prime Minister Jean- ...
has stated in 2020 that ADR is not a far-right political party. The party places great importance on promoting the
Luxembourgish language Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of th ...
, and its electoral success in the 1999 election pushed the CSV-DP government to make knowledge of it a criterion for
naturalisation Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
. It is currently also the only political party in Luxembourg that wishes to implement written laws also in Luxembourgish (together with French and German) and that wants Luxembourgish to be an officially recognized language of the European Union. While Maltese or
Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
for example are fully recognized official languages of the EU, Luxembourgish is not. In 2005 politician
Jean Asselborn Jean Asselborn (; born 27 April 1949) is a Luxembourgish politician who has served in the government of Luxembourg as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2004. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 to 2013, under Prime Minister Jean- ...
of
LSAP The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party ( lb, Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei, french: Parti ouvrier socialiste luxembourgeois, german: Luxemburger Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei), abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social-democratic, p ...
rejected a demand made by ADR to make Luxembourgish an official language of the European Union citing financial reasons and also that
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
and French being already official languages would be sufficient for the needs of Luxembourg. ADR is also opposed to
multiple citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on t ...
. The party is marked out from the other parties by being softly
Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...
, sharing this position with only the far left,Dumont et al (2006), p. 95 and being the country's most sovereigntist party.Maier et al (2004), p. 144 The leadership had supported the proposed
European Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...
, endorsing it in the 2004 European election, before changing its position in the spring of 2005 under pressure from party members. In its criticism of the EU, the party puts emphasis on the
democratic deficit A democratic deficit (or democracy deficit) occurs when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments) fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation where representative and l ...
and transparency. However, in heavily
pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...
Luxembourg, the ADR had always fared worse in European elections than on national elections, which were held on the same day. This was the case only until 2014, when the party achieved a slightly better score than it had in the early 2013 national elections, managing to beat the
LSAP The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party ( lb, Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei, french: Parti ouvrier socialiste luxembourgeois, german: Luxemburger Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei), abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social-democratic, p ...
in the majority of communes. The Shoura (the assembly of the Muslim community of the Grand Duchy) stated in a 2013 review that "of all political parties in Luxembourg, ADR is the party that appears most hostile to Muslims, true to its clichés that
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
is not soluble in democracy. ADR furthermore feels obliged to mention a possible prohibition of the
burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
, and that
polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...
or courts based on Sharia law as not compatible with European law and values." Furthermore, in its declaration of principles it has outlined, among others, the following priorities: *
Human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
and individual freedoms * Parliamentarian democracy in form of a
constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
* Implementation of
direct democratic Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are represe ...
plebiscite of the citizens on important issues (
referendums A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
) *
Freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...
*
Judicial independence Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan inte ...
* Equal treatment between men and women *
Social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
* Preservation and promotion of the
Luxembourgish language Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of th ...
(and giving it the status of an official language of the European Union) * Against discrimination and for equal use of Luxembourgish and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
in contrast to French in state institutions and society, and thus preservation of multilingualism in Luxembourg * Seeing Luxembourg as having heritage in
Greco-Roman civilization The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...
with
Judeo-Christian The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
traditions * Seeing Luxembourg as a refuge for
politically Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
and religiously persecuted people * Integration of refugees and immigrants into Luxembourgish society by respecting Luxembourgish, European and democratic values * For the creation a Common European Defense policy * A commitment to a green an environmentally friendly policy and the ethical treatment of animals


Political support

The ADR's primary political base are the CSV's 'traditional, rural and rightist' voters. Although the ADR is seen to take votes from the right wing of the CSV, more ADR voters declare themselves to be
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
than either the CSV or DP. Much of the party's support is in the north of the country,Dumont et al (2006), p. 124 where the ADR received its strongest support in the 1999 (16.7%), 2004 (14.7%) and 2009 Chamber elections (10.3%). In 2013 however it received its highest share of the vote in the Est constituency. Due to the party's original purpose of pension equality, the party's electoral base is pensioners. However, disproportionately many people under the age of 24 also see the ADR in a positive light. ADR is particularly popular on the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, despite the party leadership's lack of interest in the medium, due in part to its popularity amongst young people. The party is most popular amongst people earning less than €30,000, and has attracted support from the part of the CSV's core electorate that have been left out of recent economic growth. As with the CSV and LSAP, the ADR is supported by people with less education. The party is backed by the third-largest general trade union in the country, the small
Neutral Union of Luxembourg Workers Neutral or neutrality may refer to: Mathematics and natural science Biology * Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity Chemistry and physics * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
(NGL), which has been the driving force behind the ADR.Immergut et al (2007), p. 815 The ADR has also been close to the
Luxembourg Association of Retired and Invalid People Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
(LRIV), which formerly backed the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
. The party has used local celebrities, such as Jean-Pierre Koepp in Nord, to boost its appeal.


Election results


Chamber of Deputies


European Parliament


Leaders


Party presidents

* Gaston Gibéryen (1987–1989) *
John Bram John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
(1989–1991) *
Robert Mehlen Robert Mehlen (born 12 May 1949 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgish politician, President of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR), and farmer. He has sat in the Chamber of Deputies since the ADR's spectacular breakthrough in the 1989 ...
(1991 – 2013) *
Fernand Kartheiser Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885– ...
(2013) * Jean Schoos (2013 – 2022) *
Fred Keup Fred Keup (born 15 May 1980 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgish politician ( ADR ) and a member of parliament at the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) (from October 14, 2020). Life Keup grew up in Kehlen and currently lives in Mamer. He is ...
(2022-)


Elected representatives

Since its formation, the ADR has had eleven
deputies A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
in the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
. Its four current deputies are given in bold. * Jean Colombera ( Nord: 1999–2004, 2009–2013) * Gaston Gibéryen ( Sud: 1989–present) * Fernand Greisen (
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
: 1999–2004) * Jacques-Yves Henckes (
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
: 1994–2013) *
Aly Jaerling Alphonse 'Aly' Jaerling (born 30 January 1948 in Esch-sur-Alzette) is a Luxembourgish politician. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies from 1999, when he was first elected for the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) until 2009. He is also a me ...
( Sud: 1999–2006) *
Fernand Kartheiser Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885– ...
( Sud: 2009–present) * Jean-Pierre Koepp ( Nord: 1989–2009) *
Robert Mehlen Robert Mehlen (born 12 May 1949 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgish politician, President of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR), and farmer. He has sat in the Chamber of Deputies since the ADR's spectacular breakthrough in the 1989 ...
( Est: 1989–2009) *
Fernand Rau Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885– ...
(
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
: 1992–94) *
Josy Simon Josy is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Josy Ajiboye, Nigerian artist and cartoonist who worked at the Daily Times * Josy Barthel (1927–1992), Luxembourgish athlete * Josy Braun (1938–2012), Luxembourg writer, journalist ...
(
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
: 1989–91) *
Roy Reding Roy Reding, born 17 July 1965 in Luxembourg City, is a Luxembourgish Member of Parliament, lawyer, politician and vice-president of the ADR, as well as treasurer of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR), a centre-right euro ...
(
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
: 2013–present) * Jeff Engelen ( Nord: 2018-) *
Fred Keup Fred Keup (born 15 May 1980 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgish politician ( ADR ) and a member of parliament at the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) (from October 14, 2020). Life Keup grew up in Kehlen and currently lives in Mamer. He is ...
( Sud: 2020-)


See also

*
List of political parties in Luxembourg This article lists political parties in Luxembourg. Luxembourg has a multi-party system with three strong political party, political parties; two other moderately successful parties have emerged recently. No single party has a chance of gaining ...


Footnotes


References

* * * * *


External links

*
Alternative Democratic Reform Party official website
{{Authority control Conservative parties in Luxembourg Pensioners' parties Nationalist parties in Luxembourg Eurosceptic parties in Luxembourg Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe member parties Political parties established in 1987 1987 establishments in Luxembourg National conservative parties Social conservative parties Right-wing populist parties Luxembourgian nationalism