Luxembourg’s Bettel to return as foreign minister in new government

Luxembourg’s outgoing Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced on Wednesday evening that his liberal Democratic Party (DP) had reached an agreement with the center-right Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) to form a government.

The 50-year-old Bettel, who was rumored to be gunning for a top job in Brussels after nearly a decade in power, will remain in government as foreign minister and deputy prime minister, according to local media reports.

Luc Frieden, the 60-year-old CSV leader, will head the new government as prime minister.

A former finance minister and president of the Brussels-based business lobby Eurochambres, Frieden led CSV to a comfortable victory in the latest general elections in October, securing 21 out of 60 parliamentary seats.

Meanwhile, the outgoing coalition — led by Bettel’s DP together with the Greens and the Socialists — won only 29 seats, short of a majority.

Under the new coalition agreement, Bettel’s liberal DP will hold seven ministerial positions while CSV has eight — including key portfolios such as interior, justice and finance.

The new government will be sworn in on Friday.