The Government provides first asylum and granted it to three persons in 1996. The Government also continued to allow about 1,800 persons from the former Yugoslavia to remain in protected status on humanitarian grounds. The Right of Citizens to Change Their Government Luxembourg is a multiparty democracy. Suffrage is universal for citizens ages 18 and above, and balloting is secret. National parliamentary elections are held every 5 years.
Women are active in political life.
The mayors of several major municipalities, including the capital, are women. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights Human rights groups operate without government restriction. Government officials are cooperative and responsive to their views. The law prohibits racial, sexual, or social discrimination, and the Government enforces these provisions. Blatant societal discrimination occurs only rarely.