A little further left of center

The new dual leadership of the JSL was elected at the end of March at a digital congress with 88 percent of the vote. Amir Vesali (24), a law student and co-manager of a family business, was previously secretary general of the young socialists, a post now held by Elisha Winckel. For her part, Lisa Kersch (26), a staff member in the office of LSAP MEP Marc Angel, may be best known as a former LSAP co-lead candidate in the European elections (along with Nicolas Schmit).

The interview took place on Friday last week at the premises of the LSAP parliamentary group.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: Mrs. Kersch, your father is deputy prime minister and currently probably the most powerful socialist. You are the new co-president of the young socialists. Doesn't your father sometimes tell you what to say?

Lisa Kersch: (laughs) He would probably like to do that, just as I would like to tell him what to say sometimes. But we hold back on that.

How often do you argue with your father, who, to put it mildly, is considered a quarrelsome character?

LK: Often, but the question here is whether that's because of his character or mine. But everyone has arguments with their parents from time to time.

And how often do you, and by that I mean both of you and the young socialists respectively, argue with the LSAP?

Amir Vesali: Not so often lately. The basic mood is rather positive, but that could also be due to the new members with us and the new staff and elected officials at the LSAP.

How many members are we talking about?

AV: There are about 20 people active in the national office, while we probably have about 200 members in total.

Do you feel taken seriously by the mother party?

LK: Most of the time.

AV: It has gotten better.

That is, you weren't taken seriously before and as a former secretary general, you should actually know what you're talking about?

AV: It's not a question of denigrating the LSAP in order to make a name for ourselves in this way, but we are concerned with the matter in hand, with structures that need to be improved.