Grand Duke Henri Swears In His New Government

Grand Duke Henri yesterday swore in the new Luxembourg government at the Château de Berg.

The Grand Duke spent the morning in audience with outgoing members of the government, thanking them for their “good and loyal service.” He also awarded the members of the government who had already served a first term the Order of Civil Merit of Adolphe.

In the afternoon, at 2:30, the Grand Duke, as Head of State, swore in the new government. The ceremony is fairly simple; beginning with the Prime Minister (in this case Jean-Claude Jucker), the members swear “…loyalty to the Grand Duke, obedience to the Constitution and laws of the State” and “…promise to fulfill my duties with integrity, accuracy and impartiality.” They then shake hands and move on to the next politician.

The Grand Duke’s next act was to sign five Grand-Ducal Decrees to allow the government to take office, specifying the government departments, those with the title of Minister, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, those who have been ministers before and those for whom it will be their first term and the allocation of ministerial responsibilities amongst the fifteen members of the cabinet.

The final engagement of the day was a reception at the Château in honour of the new ministers.

For more information, please see this thread.

Filed under Luxembourg
Tagged Government, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Orders, Prime Minister Juncker of Luxembourg.