List of prime ministers of Luxembourg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Lesser coat of arms of Luxembourg
Incumbent Luc Frieden since 17 November 2023
Executive branch of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Style	Mr. Prime Minister (informal) The Honorable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet European Council
Reports to	Monarch • Parliament
Residence	Hôtel Saint-Maximin
Seat	Luxembourg City
Appointer	Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Formation	1 August 1848; 177 years ago (1848-08-01)
First holder	Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister
Salary	€256,800 annually
Website	gouvernement.lu

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg is the main leader of the government in Luxembourg. This person is in charge of the country's daily operations. They lead the group of ministers, called the Cabinet, and choose who those ministers will be.

Since 1989, "Prime Minister" has been the official title. Before that, the leader was often called the "President of the Government." Even earlier, before 1857, the title was "President of the Council." The Prime Minister also uses the title "Minister of State."

This article lists the Prime Ministers and their governments since the role began in 1848. The larger dates show when a Prime Minister started and left office. Smaller dates show changes within a Prime Minister's government. Luxembourg has a system where the government works together. Sometimes, a government might resign, but many of the same ministers stay with the same Prime Minister.

Early Leaders of Luxembourg (1848–1918)

From 1848, when Luxembourg got its first constitution, until the early 1900s, the country's politics were mostly led by independent politicians. The Grand Duke had a lot of power. He personally chose and appointed the Prime Minister. Because of this, Prime Ministers were often moderate. They did not strongly belong to either of the two main groups in the parliament: the liberals or the Catholics.

In the early 1900s, a new political force, socialism, became important. This changed Luxembourg's government. This shift became very clear in 1915 when Paul Eyschen, a long-serving Prime Minister, died in office. His death led to a power struggle. This struggle helped create the formal party system we see today.

Prime Ministers from 1848 to 1890

Prime Minister (born–died)		Portrait	Time in Office			Monarchs (Reign)
			No.	Start	End
1	Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (1787–1871)	Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine	1 August 1848		6 December 1848	Willem II Willem II (1840–1849)
			First Prime Minister. Resigned after a vote of no confidence.
2	Jean-Jacques Madeleine Willmar (1792–1866)	Jean-Jacques Willmar	6 December 1848		23 September 1853	Willem III Willem III (1849–1890)
			Removed from office by the Governor.
3	Charles-Mathias Simons (1802–1874)	Charles-Mathias Simons	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8	23 September 1853 23 September 1854 24 May 1856 2 June 1857 29 November 1857 12 November 1858 23 June 1859 15 July 1859	23 September 1854 24 May 1856 2 June 1857 29 November 1857 12 November 1858 23 June 1859 15 July 1859 26 September 1860
			Was "President of the Council" until November 1857, then "President of the Government." Resigned.
4	Victor, Baron de Tornaco (1805–1875)	Victor de Tornaco	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	26 September 1860 9 September 1863 31 March 1864 26 January 1866 3 December 1866 14 December 1866 18 June 1867	9 September 1863 31 March 1864 26 January 1866 3 December 1866 14 December 1866 18 June 1867 3 December 1867
			Resigned after a vote of no confidence.
5	Lambert Joseph Emmanuel Servais (1811–1890)	Emmanuel Servais	1 2 3 4 5	3 December 1867 30 September 1869 12 October 1869 7 February 1870 25 May 1873	30 September 1869 12 October 1869 7 February 1870 25 May 1873 26 December 1874
			Resigned.
6	Félix, Baron de Blochausen (1834–1915)	Félix de Blochausen	1 2 3 4 5 6	26 December 1874 26 April 1875 8 July 1876 6 August 1878 21 September 1882 12 October 1882	26 April 1875 8 July 1876 6 August 1878 21 September 1882 12 October 1882 20 February 1885
			Removed from office by the Grand Duke.
7	Jules Georges Édouard Thilges (1817–1904)	Édouard Thilges	20 February 1885		22 September 1888
			Resigned.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg shared the same monarchs until 1890. Since 1890, Luxembourg has had its own monarchs.

Prime Ministers from 1890 to 1918

Prime Minister (born–died)		Portrait	Time in Office			Monarchs (Reign)
			No.	Start	End
8	Paul Eyschen (1841–1915)	Paul Eyschen	1 2 3 4 5 6	22 September 1888 26 October 1892 23 June 1896 25 October 1905 9 January 1910 3 March 1915	26 October 1892 23 June 1896 25 October 1905 9 January 1910 3 March 1915 11 October 1915	Adolphe Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1890–1905) Guillaume IV Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1905–1912)
			Longest time as Prime Minister. Luxembourg was occupied by Germany during World War I. Died in office.
9	Mathias Mongenast (1843–1926)	Mathias Mongenast	12 October 1915		6 November 1915	Marie-Adélaïde Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (1912–1919)
			Shortest time as Prime Minister. Resigned.
10	Hubert Loutsch (1878–1946)	Hubert Loutsch	6 November 1915		24 February 1916
			Resigned after a vote of no confidence.
11	Victor Thorn (1844–1930)	Victor Thorn	24 February 1916		19 June 1917
			Resigned.
12	Léon Kauffman (1869–1952)	Léon Kauffman	19 June 1917		28 September 1918
			Resigned.

Modern Political Parties (1918–Present)

In 1918, near the end of World War I, a new parliament was chosen. Its main goal was to change the constitution. To do this, the main political groups formed official parties. This helped them have more power in discussions. The changes to the constitution gave everyone the right to vote. It also introduced a fair way of counting votes and limited the power of the monarch.

Since political parties became formal, almost all governments have included members from more than one party. Most of the time, governments are "grand coalitions." This means the two largest parties work together, no matter their political ideas. This has made Luxembourg one of the most stable democracies in the world. Some governments have even included members from every party in parliament.

During World War II, Nazi Germany occupied Luxembourg. A Nazi official, Gustav Simon, governed Luxembourg. However, Pierre Dupong continued to lead the government in exile from the United Kingdom. When Luxembourg was freed in December 1944, the official government returned. So, even though Luxembourg was formally taken over in 1942, Pierre Dupong is considered to have remained Prime Minister throughout that time.

Prime Ministers Since 1918

Political Party:       PD       PNI       CSV       DP

#	Prime Minister (born–died)	Portrait	Political party		Time in Office			Government	Coalition	Monarchs (Reign)
					Election	Start	End
13	Émile Reuter (1874–1973)	Émile Reuter		PD	— 1919 1922	28 September 1918 5 January 1920 15 April 1921	5 January 1920 15 April 1921 20 March 1925	Reuter	PD, LL PD, LL PD	Marie-Adélaïde Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg 1912-1919
										Charlotte Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (1919–1964)
					First government with political parties. Resigned.
14	Pierre Prüm (1886–1950)	Pierre Prüm		PNI	1925	20 March 1925	16 July 1926	Prüm	PNI, PRS
					Only PNI Prime Minister. Resigned.
15	Joseph Bech (1887–1975) (1st time)	Joseph Bech		PD	1928, 1931 1934 1937	16 July 1926 11 April 1932 27 December 1936	11 April 1932 27 December 1936 5 November 1937	Bech	PD, LdG PD, PRL PD, PRL
					Resigned.
16	Pierre Dupong (1885–1953)	Pierre Dupong		PD	— — —	5 November 1937 7 February 1938 6 April 1940	7 February 1938 6 April 1940 10 May 1940	Dupong-Krier	PD, POL, PRL PD, POL PD, POL
					—	10 May 1940	23 November 1944	Govt. in Exile	PD, POL
				CSV	— — —	23 November 1944 23 February 1945 21 April 1945	23 February 1945 21 April 1945 14 November 1945	Liberation	CSV, LSAP
					1945 —	14 November 1945 29 August 1946	29 August 1946 1 March 1947	National Union	CSV, LSAP, GD, KPL
					— 1948	1 March 1947 14 July 1948	14 July 1948 3 July 1951	Dupong-Schaus	CSV, GD
					1951	3 July 1951	23 December 1953	Dupong-Bodson	CSV, LSAP
					Led the government during World War II, including the government in exile. Died in office.
17	Joseph Bech (1887–1975) (2nd time)	Joseph Bech		CSV	— 1954	29 December 1953 29 June 1954	29 June 1954 29 March 1958	Bech-Bodson	CSV, LSAP
					Resigned.
18	Pierre Frieden (1892–1959)	Pierre Frieden		CSV	1959	29 March 1958	23 February 1959	Frieden	CSV, LSAP
					Won the 1959 election; died in office.
19	Pierre Werner (1913–2002) (1st time)	Pierre Werner		CSV	—	2 March 1959	15 July 1964	Werner-Schaus I	CSV, DP
					1964 —	15 July 1964 3 January 1967	3 January 1967 6 February 1969	Werner-Cravatte	CSV, LSAP	Jean Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000)
					1968 — —	6 February 1969 5 July 1971 19 September 1972	5 July 1971 19 September 1972 15 June 1974	Werner-Schaus II	CSV, DP
					Longest time as Prime Minister in the party era. His party went into opposition after the 1974 election.
20	Gaston Egmond Thorn (1928–2007)	Gaston Thorn		DP	1974 — —	15 June 1974 21 July 1976 16 September 1977	21 July 1976 16 September 1977 16 July 1979	Thorn	DP, LSAP
					First Prime Minister from the DP party. Became Deputy Prime Minister under Werner after the 1979 election.
21	Pierre Werner (1913–2002) (2nd time)	Pierre Werner		CSV	1979 —	16 July 1979 3 March 1980	3 March 1980 22 November 1980	Werner-Thorn	CSV, DP
					— —	22 November 1980 21 December 1982	21 December 1982 20 July 1984	Werner-Flesch
					Retired from politics after the 1984 election.
22	Jacques Santer (born 1937)	Jacques Santer		CSV	1984	20 July 1984	14 July 1989	Santer-Poos I	CSV, LSAP
					1989 —	14 July 1989 9 December 1992	9 December 1992 13 July 1994	Santer-Poos II
					1994	13 July 1994	26 January 1995	Santer-Poos III
					Was "President of the Government" until 1989, then "Prime Minister." Became President of the European Commission.
23	Jean-Claude Juncker (born 1954)	Jean-Claude Juncker		CSV	— —	26 January 1995 4 February 1998	4 February 1998 7 August 1999	Juncker-Poos	CSV, LSAP
					1999	7 August 1999	31 July 2004	Juncker-Polfer	CSV, DP	Henri Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (2000–present)
					2004	31 July 2004	23 July 2009	Juncker-Asselborn I	CSV, LSAP
					2009	23 July 2009	4 December 2013	Juncker-Asselborn II
					Longest continuous time as Prime Minister in the party era. Also led the Eurogroup. Became President of the European Commission.
24	Xavier Bettel (born 1973)	Xavier Bettel		DP	2013	4 December 2013	5 December 2018	Bettel I	DP, LSAP, DG
					2018	5 December 2018	17 November 2023	Bettel II
25	Luc Frieden (born 1963)	Luc Frieden		CSV	2023	17 November 2023	Currently in office	Frieden-Bettel	CSV, DP

Timeline of Prime Ministers

See also

• List of monarchs of Luxembourg
• Lists of office-holders
• List of presidents of the Council of State of Luxembourg