Minister of the Economy Lex Delles, who also oversees the energy and SMEs portfolios, will not run again as president of the Democratic Party at the nationwide party congress on 27 April, he revealed in an interview with the Luxemburger Wort published on Friday.

Delles in 2022 took over as party president from Corinne Cahen. Previous DP presidents include former prime minister and now foreign minister Xavier Bettel, education minister Claude Meisch and Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer.

When he became DP president, Delles served as the minister for SMEs and tourism. Following the 2023 national elections, he became economy, SMEs and energy minister, expanding his portfolio.

DP party leader Lex Delles at an interview with the Luxemburger Wort © Photo credit: Anouk Antony

Three questions with Lex Delles

Ines Kurschat: In 2023, as the newly appointed leader, you led the DP into the municipal elections at short notice.

Lex Delles: We had a great team. It was a lot of work to set up a campaign, the main lines and the election programme in a few months. This was followed by the national elections and the 2024 European elections, and Carole Hartmann as secretary general has made an enormous contribution. Without them, it would not have been possible, especially in the past few months, because I no longer have as much time as the party deserves and as the members deserve.

What successes can you look back on?

We have succeeded in moving closer together, pulling in one direction. That was important to me personally as party president. I want us to be able to look each other in the face and still stand for a cause when we discuss politics controversially. That’s what we did and I’m proud of that. But now the national congress is coming up and the moment has come: I will not run again […] so that the future president has the chance to rebuild the party and not have to lead it directly into the elections, as I did at the time.

Who would be your ideal candidate for the succession?

We need a president who stands up for our values, who does not divide, but brings together. We have a coalition programme that we are implementing, in which the signature of the DP can be found. We have a clear mandate from the voters. We get along well with the [coalition partner] CSV in terms of implementing our priorities. Precisely because we are moving in the same direction. That is also the role of the party president.

Hartmann seeks post

A few hours after the interview, a candidate brought herself into play to become the new DP party leader: DP secretary general and Echternach mayor Carole Hartmann.

In a post on Facebook, Hartmann thanked Delles for the “successful years under his presidency” in which the party “continued to grow.” They “jointly established and implemented DP policy in the interest of the general public,” she said.

“In these times, it remains important to look ahead as a party and to reliably lead the country into a good and secure future,” Hartmann wrote on Friday. “I am ready to continue to actively shape our party and take on even more responsibility.”

The secretary general will run for the party chairmanship at the party congress on 27 April and says she will “ask for the trust of our many committed members.”