‘Ousted’

On July 10, Luxembourgish prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who has been in power for 18 years, was forced to call early general elections, which will probably be held in October, reports Le Quotidien.
The socialist allies of the longest-serving European leader presented a no-confidence motion in the government following confirmation of a scandal linked to the country’s intelligence service. On July 5, a parliamentary inquiry delivered a damning report on several affairs of internal political espionage, illegal wiretaps and a wide range of other operations undertaken by secret services. Juncker warned he ”will not assume any personal responsibility”. At the same time, the newspaper notes that —

Although he has lost one battle, he has not yet lost the war, whose outcome will be decided at the polls. Given his enduring popularity in this country, he may very well be vindicated in the early general elections.