About Luxembourg

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Introduction
Luxembourg is a country in Western Europe bordered by Germany, France and Belgium, hence making it a landlocked country. Its official name is Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, making it the only Grand Duchy country remaining in the world today. Luxembourg had been a sovereign state ever since 19 April 1839, when the treaty of London was signed. Today, according to the World Bank Luxembourg is among the top three richest countries in the world. It has an advanced economy that registers one of the highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world. Luxembourg is a trilingual country, and this is because it has three official languages, which include French, German and Luxembourgish language. Its people embrace a culture that encompasses both the German culture and the Latin culture. The country is situated in the Benelux hence its currency is the Euro. It is a member of the United Nations, Benelux, NATO, European Union and OECD.
Luxembourg has a population of about 517,000 according to the census conducted in 2011. Despite the fact that it is a secular state, the country’s’ population is still predominantly inclined to the Roman Catholic Church. They type of government system in Luxembourg is the constitutional monarchy encompassed in a representative democracy. Luxembourg is headed by a Grand Duke and a ruler whose title is the prime minister. The House of Nassau is the family through which the crown of being a duke is handed down.
Democratic participation and legitimacy in Luxembourg
Democracy is a government system that encompasses all eligible citizens in the decision-making process of the state in which decisions are vital in shaping their lives. The citizens through the representation they elect. The idea behind this is to have an equal say in all government matters. A legitimate government democracy is important because it enables equality and freedom in the practice of political self-determination. Democratic legitimacy can only be established in a government once some components and principles of democracy are put into play. The elements include; presence of an elected government and leadership, freedom of speech, free elections, the existence of private institutions, availability of independent information sources and equal coverage of citizenship by its laws.
Democratic legitimacy encompasses the acceptance of the authority and governing laws by the general population. Legitimacy is the system of government that is popularly accepted by the country’s citizens. Therefore, looking at Luxembourg, one can appreciate the presence of these principles of democracy that are essential in establishing democratic legitimacy in a government. This is because Luxembourg’s’ constitution embraces freedom of speech, free and fair elections, independent information sources and private institutions, equality and availability of elected leadership. Luxembourg also embraces political consensus, which favors military, political and economic integration.
Luxembourg has a representative democratic system in which representatives are elected by the people. However, the people are not involved in the use of sortation, directly dismissing elected officials or even making laws. The passing of executive decisions is solely the work of the representative who works without consulting the people. There is no aspect of referendums and the public in Luxembourg have no constitutional right to recall, which leaves them with limited powers. However, the representatives elected by the people have their powers constrained because they have no authority to select other officials into government such as the prime minister or other representatives. The constitution and the independent judiciary that controls laws enacted by the legislative regulate power. This hence means that the constitutional court or the Supreme Court can overturn legislative acts. The democracy in Luxembourg is a parliamentary democratic system that is composed of the independent judiciary, the executive and the legislative branches.
The legislative power is divided into parliament, council of state and government of which each serve entirely diverse functions. In the executive branch, the Grand Duke is the head of the state and therefore cannot be prosecuted or charged in a court of law because of his status. He enjoys complete political immunity. The judiciary is independent, and its courts and tribunals are responsible for exercising judicial authority. The judiciary is divided into two; the judicial order and the administrative order. The judicial order is composed of the magistrate courts, administrative courts, district courts and the supreme court of justice. The administrative order is composed of the administrative tribunal and the administrative court.
The constitutional monarchy present in Luxembourg is a system under representative democracy. In this system, a parliamentary system is employed in which the monarch has majorly ceremonial duties and his powers are regulated by the constitution. The constitution of Luxembourg outlines guidelines under which the monarch who is the head of state acts. The monarchy is not the states’ absolute source of power. Its powers are bound by the constitution, and its powers are limited within which to regulate its respective government. The prime minister hence takes the place of the head of government, and he is solemnly the one to exercise effective political power.
Democratic participation entails providing avenues through which the citizens of a country are able to own the government. This is done through their public participation in deciding on political initiatives and issues hence ensuring control of the agenda by the public. The public also participates in the decision-making processes. Thus, the government has the task of enlightening the public in an effort to improve their understanding about the issues, policies and the resultant consequences through the disclosure of the relevant details. Effective participation is offered when citizens have the full, adequate and equal opportunity to form views of their preferences and thus be able to air out their views and opinions. The most vital aspect in participation is when the citizens are able to vote and be assured that their vote will be given equality of weight during the final stage of the decision making process. Although Luxembourg offers its citizens democratic participation, the type offered is not full democratic participation. This is because, even though citizens are allowed to vote in their representatives, they have limited power in the proceeding decision making processes. This hence means that once the representatives are elected into leadership positions, the citizens automatically lose their power in making further decisions. The leaders hence encompass all the power and direct the lives of the citizens as they will.
Luxembourg being a representative democracy does not conduct referendums. This, in turn, limits democratic participation by the citizens hence citizens are stripped off their power of participating in political issues and decision-making. The general population in the EU, of which Luxembourg is part, has come up to defend their rights in democratic participation. They demand they be involved in the entire decision-making process, and they be provided with adequate information, which will enable them make informed decisions. They claim that false information is going around the population, and this may mislead them in making decisions and understanding the political systems in their countries.
The population is opposed to the measures and policies of the government of which the politicians seem to always take the role of imposing it on them. Even though the citizens appreciate the fact that there is substantial economic growth and development in their countries as a result of these policies, they still are in the forefront asking for their inclusion in the decision making process. The population still values their right of participation in all government matters. For instance, the austerity measures opposed by the general population do not seem to bear any fruits because politicians have taken it upon themselves to impose those measures.
The austerity measures are policies used to reduce budget deficits by the government during such adverse economic periods. Such policies included in the austerity measures encompass tax increases and spending cuts. These measures have led to anti- austerity protests by the citizens. The lack of full democratic participation by the citizens has led to politicians not representing the will of the people who put them in positions of power. The politicians are vested with power as representatives of the people, yet when they take charge, they end up taking orders from other en...