Luc Frieden, 30/09/2023

RTL Today - The Lisa Burke Show

The lead candidate for CSV is the reason this election will be a very tight race.
When I last interviewed Luc Frieden in September 2022, and actually titled the piece, 'The Leader that never was', I never thought I'd be interviewing him one year on for that precise role. Although it doesn't surprise me at all.
Luc Frieden, for anyone who grew up in Luxembourg or has kept a keen on on politics here, has a deeply political background, having been the youngest member of the house when he was elected to the Chambre des Deputées in 1994. At just 34 years old he became Minister of Justice under Jean-Claude Juncker's government (also CSV). This points to his immaculate education in law at the Sorbonne, Cambridge and Harvard.
Frieden served as Minister for the Treasury and Budget from 1998 to 2009, Minister of Defence 2004 - 2006 and Minister of Finance 2009 - 2013. And then he left politics in 2013 as the 'Gambia' coalition of DP, LSAP and Dei Gréng came to power (so-called Gambia due to the colour of the flag).
In my last interview with Mr. Frieden there was no hint then that he wanted to return. It felt as though 2013 was his big chance and it ended so disappointingly for him that he needed a clean break from politics and even went to live and work in London for a while. So why the change of mind and heart? Well, apparently his party, CSV, went to him and asked him to return. They needed someone with his political brain and history with CSV to try again, to break the current coalition run.
We'll see what happens in a week's time.
Meanwhile, enjoy this interview, where we also have a look back at a few news stories with my colleague Steve Miller.
Election Night
I'll be hosting a live show on Today Radio from 8pm to midnight. You can watch the livestream from the studio too. Please do send in your questions on the night and keep us company as the results role in!