Communist Party of Luxembourg

Communist Party of Luxembourg
Leader Ali Ruckert
Founded 2 January 1921
Headquarters 3, rue Zénon Bernard
Esch-sur-Alzette
Newspaper Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek
Ideology Communism
Marxism–Leninism
Political position Left-wing
International affiliation International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties
International Communist Seminar
Colours Red
Website
http://www.kp-l.org
Politics of Luxembourg
Political parties
Elections

The Communist Party of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Kommunistesch Partei Lëtzebuerg, French: Parti Communiste Luxembourgeois, German: Kommunistische Partei Luxemburg), abbreviated to KPL or PCL, is a communist party in Luxembourg.

Ali Ruckert is the current chairman of the party.

History

Founded on 2 January 1921 in the town of Niederkorn, the KPL was launched, making it one of the oldest parties in Luxembourg. In 1937, the Bech government attempted to introduce the so-called Maulkuerfgesetz ("Muzzle law") which would have banned the party, but the law was abandoned after failing to achieve popular support in a national referendum.

Following the end of the Second World War, the party joined the National Union Government (1945 – 47). Its first minister was Charles Marx. After Marx's death, in a car accident in 1946, he was replaced by Dominique Urbany. However, after the death of the leader of the LSAP, the coalition collapsed. With the principle of an all-inclusive government gone, the KPL was excluded from the next government, and never returned another member to the cabinet.

In 1964, the United States State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 500.[1] In legislative elections held in the same year, the party registered 12.4% of the vote, and won five of the Chamber of Deputies' 56 seats. The party's representation in the Chamber peaked at the following election, with six deputies, but fell, until the KPL lost its last remaining deputy in 1994.

In 1999, many party members were co-founders of the Left (Luxembourgish: Déi Lénk). Accordingly KPL members ran on The Left lists in the 1999 and 2000 elections and no separate KPL lists existed. After disputes between leading KPL members and a majority within the Left shortly before the 2004 elections the party again ran separate lists. A number of the Left members were subsequently expelled from the Communist Party.

Results since 1931
(year links to election page)
Year Type of election Votes % Seats
1931
Parliament
6,264
0.7%
0
1934
Parliament
70,940
5.2%
1
1937
Parliament
%
1945
Parliament
295,701
11.1%
5
1948
Parliament
195,956
14.3%
5
1951
Parliament
35,662
3.2%
4
1954
Parliament
211,171
7.3%
3
1959
Parliament
220,425
7.2%
3
1964
Parliament
330,909
10.4%
5
1968
Parliament
402,610
13.1%
6
1974
Parliament
314,635
8.8%
5
1979
Parliament
177,286
4.9%
2
1984
Parliament
165,960
4.4%
2
1989
Parliament
157,608
4.4%
1
1994
Parliament
57,646
1.7%
0
1999
Parliament
110,274
3.3%
1
2004
Parliament
35,524
0.9%
0
2009
Parliament
49,108
1.4%
0
2013
Parliament
53,669
1.6%
0

References

  1. Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H. (March 1968). "Communism and Economic Development". American Political Science Review 62 (1): 110–123. doi:10.2307/1953329. JSTOR 1953329.

External links

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