© Loic Juchem
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Paulette Lenert says she’s willing to take on the role of Prime Minister if her party, the LSAP, would win in the 2023 general election.
The minister, who gave an interview to Telecran, said that even though she is “not dominated by the thought that it would be nice to become prime minister”, citing a strong interference with one’s personal life, she finds it “motivating to take on responsibility”.
A recent poll showed that if elections were to be held today, the LSAP would achieve its best result since the last vote in 2017 and become the largest party within the current coalition.
Lenert is perceived as Luxembourg’s most popular politician, skyrocketing to the top of the table during the Covid-19 pandemic for her practical response and surely also aided by high visibility.
When asked about the reasons behind the Politmonitor result, she said it could be because “people often tell me that I don’t talk like a politician, or that I need to be more edgy. But maybe that’s exactly what reassures people in times of crisis. I am not necessarily a brawler.”
But should it not occur, she would not necessarily be left disappointed: “I also feel quite comfortable in the second row. It doesn’t excite me to be in the front line. It excites me to do my job”, she said in the interview.
As Prime Minister she would focus on simplifying the administrative process: “When I see how slowly some projects in the field of housing are progressing, I can only conclude that administrative simplification must be a priority.”
Speaking about the lack of health care staff, Lenert says there is “no miracle solution, neither in Luxembourg nor in other countries.” There needs to be an adjustment in the work-life balance, and more investment into digitalisation and technologies, the health minister underlines.
The full article in German can also be read here.
